WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis University fencing team hosted their only meet of the 2016 season today with the Brandeis Invitational. The highlight of the meet was a sweep by the Judges of Brown University. The women earned a 15-12 win, while the men edged the Bears, 14-13.
The women were victorious in foil and epee against Brown, 7-2, and 5-4, respectively, overcoming a 3-6 defeat in sabre. The Judges' cruised in foil thanks to 3-0 records by sophomore Joanne Carminucci (Brewster, N.Y. / North Salem) and rookie Jessica Gets (Morganville, N.J. / Marlborough). In epee action, Brandeis mounted a tremendous comeback to win. After dropping the first four bouts, they won the final five to help clinch the overall match victory. Juniors Liz Feller (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y. / Hendrick Hudson) and Savannah Bishop (Alexandria, Va. / West Potomac) each won twice down the stretch, while rookie Dakota Levy (Merion Station, Pa. / Barrack) picked up a key win in the eighth round.
On the men's side, the men's foil squad posted a 6-3 victory, while the sabre and epee picked up just enough points in 4-5 losses to complete the sweep. Junior Eli Litle (Haifa, Israel / Reali - Beit Beram) went 3-0 to lead the foil squad, while senior Len Grazian (Barrington, Ill. / Barrington) posted a 2-1 record. Juniors Curtis Wilson (Denver, Colo. / Kent Denver) in the saber and Max Gould (Maplewood, N.J. / Columbia) in epee also went 2-1.
Overall on the afternoon, the Judges dropped their other four matches on both sides. The closest result on either side came in the women's match against St. John's, where Brandeis dropped a 14-13 decision thanks to a 9-0 win in foil. Gets, Carminucci and senior Chaya Schapiro (Los Angeles, Calif. / Lycee de LA) all went 3-0, but it wasn't enough to offset losses in sabre (3-6) and epee (1-8). The closest result on the men's side was a 15-12 defeat at the hands of North Carolina, where the foil squad went 7-2 behind a 3-0 record from junior Guillermo Narvaez(Metepec, Mexico / Technologico de Monterrey) and a 2-0 mark by Grazian, while Litle went 2-1.
The men's foil squad had a tremendous day overall, going 4-1. In addition to wins over Brown and UNC, they posted a 6-3 in over St. Johns and a 5-4 victory over Cornell. One other squad victory on the day came from the men's saber fencers against Yale, who went 5-4 with four different fencers contributing wins.
Overall, the top performers on the afternoon were Carminucci (11-3), senior sabre fencer Nina Sayles ) Mamaroneck, N.Y. / Loomis-Chaffee) (10-5) and Gets (10-5) for the women, while Grazian (7-4), Narvaez (7-5) and Litle (6-5) paced the men.
BRANDEIS INVITATIONAL
MEN
vs. Brown: W, 14-13 (S, 4-5; F, 6-3, E, 4-5)
vs. Cornell: L, 11-16 (S, 3-6; F, 5-4; E, 3-6)
vs. St. John's: L, 9-18 (S, 2-7; F, 6-3; E, 1-8)
vs. Yale: L, 10-17 (S, 5-4; F, 3-6; E, 2-7)
vs. North Carolina (S, 2-7; F, 7-2; E, 3-6)
WOMEN
vs. Brown: W, 15-12 (S, 3-6; F, 7-2; E, 5-4)
vs. Cornell: L, 8-19 (S, 1-8; F, 4-5; E, 3-6)
vs. St. John's: L, 13-14 (S, 3-6; F, 9-0; E, 1-8)
vs. Yale: L, 8-19 (S, 2-7; F, 4-5; E, 2-7)
vs. North Carolina (S, 2-7; F, 2-7; E, 1-8)