Fencers run the table at first Northeast Conference meet of season

Fencers run the table at first Northeast Conference meet of season

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The Brandeis University fencing teams combined to go 11-0 at the first Northeast Fencing Conference meet this weekend at Brown University. The Judges went 5-0 on the men's side and 6-0 on the women's. The wins included three key revenge victories.

On the men's side, the Judges had pair of narrow victories in their two varsity showdowns. Against Sacred Heart, Brandeis edged to a 14-13 win. Though it was decided before the final matches, Brandeis, all three weapons were decided by one point. Brandeis took foil and sabre, 5-4, while SHU woon the epee, 5-4. In their second varsity meet, the foil squad roared to a 9-0 win - overcoming a 4-5 defeat in epee and 2-7 in sabre - as the Judges beat MIT, 15-12, after losing to the Engineers last year, 14-13. 

The men's results against club sides were similar to the women's: 25-2 over UMass (F, 9-0; E, 8-1; S, 8-1); 24-3 over BU (8-1 in all three weapons); and 27-0 over New Hampshire (9-0 in all three weapons).

In the foil, the Judges posted a 5-0 record thanks to a 10-1 record from sophomore transfer Elishua Litle (Haifa, Israel / Reali - Beit Beram) and an 8-0 record off the bench from senior Toby Gray (Keene, N.H./Keene). Sophomore sabre fencer Kyle Berney (Shreveport, La. / Caddo Magnet) topped the team in wins, going 11-2. 

On the women's side, the Judges defeated two of the three NFC squads that handed them losses last year. Brandeis defeated Sacred Heart, 18-9, sweeping all three weapons - 5-4 in foil, 7-2 in epee and 6-3 in sabre. The Pioneers took a 15-12 decision from Brandeis last year. Against MIT, the sabre squad helped coach Bill Shipman's squad avenge a 17-10 loss from a year ago with a 15-12 win. The Judges won foil, 5-4, while the Engineers took epee by the same score, but the sabre squad notched a 6-3 to pull Brandeis through. The Judges also defeated Wellesley, 18-9, as foil and epee had the same split as in the MIT match, but sabre won 9-0 for the final margin. 

Brandeis also rolled over club squads from UMass (25-2 - F, 8-1; E, 9-0; S, 8-1); BU (24-3 - F; 9-0; E, 6-3; S, 9-0) and New Hampshire (27-0 - 9-0 in all three weapons). 

The top individual records went to a pair of junior sabre fencers, who helped the squad to an undefeated 6-0 record. Ashley Jean (Norwood, Mass. / Fontbonne Academy) and Nina Sayles (Mamaroneck, N.Y. / Loomis-Chaffee) each went 14-2 on the afternoon to help the Judges to victory. Senior Gwendolyn Mowell (Wyckoff, N.J. / Indian Hills) paced the epee squad with a 10-2 mark. 

Brandeis returns to action with their first home meet of the season on Dec. 9, with Yale, St. John's, Johns Hopkins and Cornell on the schedule.