CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Brandeis University fencing teams competed in their first Northeast Fencing Conference meets of the season this weekend at MIT. The Judges went a combined 8-3, with the men going 4-1 and the women 4-2.
The Brandeis men sit atop the standings, tied with MIT and Sacred Heart. The Judges edged the Pioneers, 15-12, on the strength of 6-3 wins in epee and sabre. Against MIT, the Engineers pulled out a 14-13 win. Brandeis took foil, 8-1, but MIT won epee by the same score. In sabre, the Engineers pulled it out, 5-4. SHU defeated MIT, 18-9, to create the logjam atop the standings. Brandeis also rolled over their other three foes, UMass (20-7), New Hampshire (26-1) and Boston U. (27-0).
Individually, the Judges' top performance was turned in by rookie foil fencer Guillermo Navarez(Metepec, Mexico / Technologico de Monterrey ), who went 12-1 in his first collegiate meet and earned University Athletic Association Fencer of the Week honors in the process. Senior Ethan Levy (Great Neck. N.Y./Great Neck South) (10-3), sophomore Len Grazian (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) (8-3) and junior Toby Gray (Keene, N.H./Keene) (6-2) also had fine performances for the foil squad. In epee action, the Judges had a host of different fencers contribute points, with junior Tom Hearne (Holmdel, N.J./Ranney School) leading the way with a 9-1 mark. In sabre action, Brandeis owned three of the top seven performances on the day, with rookie Kyle Berney (Shreveport, La./Caddo Magnet) going 11-3, senior captain Jess Ochs-Willard (Montclair, N.J./Montclair) posting a 9-3 mark, and rookie Curtis Wilson(Denver, Colo./Kent Denver) winning five of his six matches.
On the women's side, the Judges sit in fourth place behind MIT, Sacred Heard and Brown. The Judges earned wins over Wellesley, 18-9; New Hampshire, 18-9; BU, 19-8; and UMass, 22-5. SHU handed Brandeis a 15-12 defeat despite a 5-4 win for the Judges in epee. The epee squad also won 5-4 over MIT in a 17-10 loss to the Engineers.
Rookie Liz Feller (Cortland Manor, N.Y./Henrick Hudson) helped that epee squad to its 5-1 mark on the afternoon with a 12-1 record. She earned her first career UAA Fencer of the Week honor in the process. Junior Rosa Zhang (E. Setauket, N.Y./Ward-Melville) also added nine wins in 14 matches. Two-time NCAA qualifier Caroline Mattos (Providence, R.I./LaSalle Acad.) paced the foil squad with a 12-3 mark, while sophomore Chaya Schapiro (Los Angeles, Calif./Lycee de LA) added wins in four of five bouts. The sabre squad had two sophomores win in double digits, with Ashley Jean (Norwood, Mass./Fontbonne Acad.) going 11-5 and Jaclyn Hammond (Bernardsville, N.J./Gill St. Bernards) posting a 10-5 mark.
Brandeis returns to action on Sunday, December 7, with the first of three home events, the Brandeis Invitational, when they will host Yale, St. Johns, Columbia, Johns Hopkins, Cornell and Air Force.