M., w. fencing use balance to finish strong at IFAs

Lions and Tigers and Quakers . . . oh my! The usual suspects of Ivy League fencing battled it out this weekend for top rankings at the Intercollegiate Fencing Association Championships at Vassar in Poughkeepsie, New York. Both the men's and women's teams finished in the top three with first place individual finishes in all weapons. Still, both teams struggled against perennial rivals Columbia and Penn— losing the combined six weapons by only two bouts to Columbia. Sophomore Jacqueline Leahy returned to Princeton with the IFA title in foil.

The women finished third out of 12 teams behind rivals Penn and Columbia. The Tigers finished first in foil, thanks to Leahy, sophomore Sarah Jew-Jim and junior captain Inhwa Song. Leahy finished first in a talent-heavy foil division after having to fight Princeton teammate Song and national teammate Cassidy Luitjen from Columbia. The twelve-hour tournament tested not only the talent but also the stamina of the fencers.

"It was really sad that I had to fight Inhwa," Leahy said. "But my hardest bout was against Cassidy who I fight with on the Junior National Team."

While Leahy has lost a string of bouts in the past to Luitjen, there was little doubt that she had the upper hand throughout the match. While Leahy was up 12-6 at one point, she had seen her rival pull ahead in the past and referred to her as a very unpredictable fencer.

"I had to learn to not get overconfident even though Cassiday had a very bad day," Leahy said. "Even when I was ahead I had to continue to analyze play throughout the bout."

After a convincing victory she went on to defeat Ann Austin from Harvard to secure her first place title.

The sabre squad posted a successful third place showing while the epee team rounded out the top 5.

The men finished second overall, falling to Columbia by a combined total of only two bouts. While actually beating the Columbia team during their matches 6-3, IFA scoring is different than traditional collegiate fencing in that the winning team in each individual bout is awarded one point.

"We beat every single team there," senior captain Eric Stodola said. "Unfortunately we didn't beat the weaker teams bad enough."

Since each individual bout can earn a team points, Columbia's ability to blank many of the weaker teams in attendance put them ahead in the end.

Regardless, the second place showing was a significant improvement and the win against Columbia stood to be some sort of validation after a devastating 17-10 loss during the regular season. Foil and epee both finished first while sabre struggled but still posted a successful third place finish behind Columbia and Harvard.

Throughout the years Columbia fencing has plagued the Tigers' hopes of securing the Ivy League championship. The Tigers continually point to the strength of their recruiting program. While Princeton consistently posts very talented starters, Columbia's depth gives it a distinct advantage. Their alternates could easily start at any school within the Ivy League.

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

The Tigers will have this week to train in preparation for NCAA regionals that all the Princeton starters will attend. Success there will give individuals a ticket to the NCAA fencing finals over spring break. IFA's mark the end of the Tigers' team season as the fencers will compete as individuals rather than a team for NCAAs.