Jadwin Gym transformed into a proving ground this weekend as Princeton fencing hosted the Ivy League Championships, delivering a poised, high-level performance in front of a home crowd. The Tigers closed the meet with third-place finishes on both the men’s and women’s sides, collecting 10 All-Ivy honors in a weekend defined by depth, star power, and tightly contested bouts.
The men earned five Second Team All-Ivy selections: senior Brandon Lee (foil), first-year Silas Choi (saber), junior Alec Brooke (épée), junior Alexander Liu (épée), and first-year Tristan Lumineau (épée). On the women’s side, junior Alexandra Lee (saber) and first-year Angel Xiao (épée) were named to the All-Ivy First Team, while Second Team honors went to junior Hadley Husisian (épée), senior Maia Weintraub (foil), and 2025 Ivy League saber champion sophomore Emese Domonkos.
Domonkos is a staff Newsletter writer for The Daily Princetonian.
Both Princeton squads opened the championships undefeated heading into Sunday, setting an early tone of confidence and control. The women went 3–0 on Saturday, defeating Penn, Yale, and Brown. In similar fashion, the men went 2–0, taking down Columbia and Penn.
Women finish third with tight losses to Harvard and Columbia
Princeton’s lineup featured multiple Olympians, including Weintraub, a 2024 Olympic gold medalist. Weintraub went undefeated on day one and was one of four fencers to win all nine of her bouts. Husisian, another Olympian, also stepped up, delivering a sound performance and posting a 7–1 record in women’s épée.
On Sunday, the women proved to be formidable against Cornell. Foil was especially successful, winning seven of nine bouts. Weintraub went undefeated, while sophomore Chin-Yi Kong and first-year Lydia Shen contributed with crucial 2–1 performances to round out the weapon’s success. Épée matched this effort, with a 7–2 victory and impressive undefeated performances from Husisian and Xiao. Paired with a solid 5–4 output from saber, the Tigers finished soundly on top of the Big Red, claiming the victory 19–8.
While the Orange and Black had all the momentum heading into their next two matchups against conference powerhouses Harvard and Columbia, the Tigers fell just short and lost 14–13 in both contests.
Against Harvard, Princeton’s épée stepped up big, taking the duel 5–4. The performance was highlighted by 2–1 efforts from sophomore Leehi Machulsky and Xiao. However, dramatic 5–4 losses in saber and foil propelled Harvard to a nail-biting 14–13 victory.
While the overall score in the defeat to Columbia was the same, it came in quite a different fashion. Princeton carried out confident performances in saber and épée, winning 6–3 in both disciplines. Many Tigers fenced well, highlighted by a 3–0 bout record from Lee in sabre. However, it was Columbia’s dominance in foil that was decisive as the Lions won 8–1, with the sole Princeton bout coming from Kong. As a result, Columbia propelled past Princeton and stole a 14–13 victory over the Tigers, consequently being crowned Ivy League champions for the 15th time.
For the Orange and Black, Lee, the women’s captain, finished among the top two saber fencers at the championships, while Domonkos placed in the top five. Xiao tied Harvard’s Yasmine Khamis for second in women’s épée, with both fencers winning 13 of their 17 bouts.
Men finish third after falling to Harvard and Yale
The Saturday afternoon slate featured several statement performances, particularly from Princeton’s younger fencers — notably Choi, a first-year, who delivered a breakout showing in men’s saber in winning five of his six bouts. Against Columbia, the Tigers rose to the moment in a tightly contested matchup. Against Penn, Lee led the way in foil with a clean 3–0 sweep, helping Princeton secure a key team victory as the championship standings tightened.
On Sunday, the men found less success, falling to both Harvard and Yale. Yale only narrowly defeated the Tigers 14–13, highlighted by an undefeated performance in foil by Lee. The Crimson swept the Tigers in all three weapons, resulting in a final score of 18–9.
On the men’s side, Brooke and Liu each finished in the top five for épée. Lee placed fourth in foil, and Princeton’s saber squad added three top-10 finishes, underscoring the team’s depth across weapons.
With the Ivy League Championships behind them, Princeton fencing will travel to Philadelphia this weekend to compete at the Temple Duals on Feb. 22.
Chloe Lydia Li is a staff Sports writer for the ‘Prince.’ Her coverage spans multiple sports, including fencing, cross country, track & field, rowing, men’s ice hockey, and men’s swimming & diving. She can be reached at chloe.lydia[at]princeton.edu.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com
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