Fencing: Princeton picks up where it left off, wins 9 of 10 contests

The men’s and women’s fencing teams opened their dual-meet seasons in style on Sunday. The Tigers collectively took nine of 10 contests at the Sacred Heart Duals in Fairfield, Conn.

Sunday was highlighted by the men’s 15-12 victory over defending national champion Penn State. The Nittany Lions, True fencing behemoths, have won 12 of the last 21 NCAA team championships and had defeated Princeton every time they were matched in the last 17 years. The men took three of their other four matches comfortably but were tested by University of North Carolina. The Tar Heels were scrappy, but the Tigers eked out another 15-12 win.

The women fell to the Nittany Lions by the same 15-12 score. They blasted their four other opponents, winning by a combined 97-11 over Vassar, Sacred Heart, NYU and UNC.

The men were led by junior epeeist Cooper Gegan, whose 12 wins led the epeeists to a 26-19 overall record. His performance earned him the GoPrincetonTigers.com Athlete of the Week award. Junior Alexander Mills finished with eight wins to lead the foilists, while freshman saberist Philip Dershwitz and senior saberist John Stogin each tallied 10 wins to pace their group.

On the women’s side, the saberists nearly ran the table, finishing 43-2. Sophomore Eliza Stone and freshman Diamond Wheeler each notched 13 wins in saber, while sophomore epeeist Brianna Martin and junior foilist Lucile Jarry each led their groups with 13 victories each.

“This tournament was our first dual meet of the season, so it was the freshmen’s first collegiate competition, and most of them did exceptionally well,” women’s co-captain and junior saberist Bianca Cabrera said. “For example, freshman Robert Stone’s first bout was against two-time NCAA champion Aleksander Ochocki from Penn State, and he beat him 5-3.”

Cabrera said the team has been especially successful this year due to increased individual commitment.

“This year we have a lot of freshmen who have been continuing to participate in international and national tournaments, more so than we have in the past. That constant exposure to tough competition and tough opponents really improves their fencing and helps the team as a whole,” Cabrera said. “Our team has always been strong, but I think the increased conditioning and commitment by each person on the team has also really made us stronger”.

In addition to its success in collegiate competition, the Tigers received an impressive performance from sophomore epeeist Hannah Safford on the international stage. Safford defeated 55 opponents to finish in first place at a Junior World Cup event in Burgos, Spain, over the weekend.

Looking forward, the fencing team will compete in Atlanta. for the North American Cup tournament on Dec. 18. The Tigers have acheived early success because of commitment and focused practices and hope to continue their success in Atlanta. Preparation is key, given that there are only two tournaments between now and the Ivy League championship. After the North American Cup, Princeton will travel to Evanston, Ill., for the Northwestern Duals on Feb. 5. The Ivy League Championship is the following weekend on Feb. 12. Last year, when both squads won the Ivy League, was the first time since 2001 that either team had won, and both teams will be gunning for a repeat this season.