CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Brandeis Fencing team spent Super Bowl Sunday at the Eric Sollee Invitational at MIT. The women posted a 4-2 mark, while the men were 3-3 on the day.
WOMEN
Brandeis 16, Stevens 11 (S, 4-5; F, 6-3; E, 6-3)
Duke 25, Brandeis 2 (S, 0-9; F, 1-8; E, 1-8)
NYU 18, Brandeis 9 (S, 0-9; F, 5-4; E, 4-5)
Brandeis 20, Haverford 7 (S, 5-4; F, 8-1; E, 7-2)
Brandeis 25, Yeshiva 2 (S, 8-1; F, 9-0; E, 8-1)
Brandeis 21, NJIT 5 (S, 9-0; F, 5-4; E, 8-1)
The Brandeis women's team opened the day with a 16-11 win over Stevens Tech. The Judges were bolstered by 6-3 wins in foil and epee action. Junior epeeist Liz Feller (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Hendrick Hudson) and rookie Jessica Gets (Morganville, N.J./Marlborough) each posted 3-0 records in the win.
The Judges dropped their next two matches, falling to Duke, 25-2, and 18-9 in the de facto UAA championship match against NYU. Feller and Gets produced the team's two wins against the Blue Devils. In the match against NYU. The foil and epee squads split 5-4 decisions, with sophomore Joanne Carminucci (Brewster, N.Y. / North Salem) leading the Judges to the win in foil. Feller was 2-1 for the epee squad, but NYU prevailed 9-0 in saber to take the win. It was the Judges' first loss to the Violets since 2012.
The women bounced back with big wins over Haverford (20-7), Yeshiva (25-2) and New Jersey Institute of Technology (21-5), winning all eight weapon matchups in the three matches (NJIT did not field a saber squad). Feller went 9-0 in the final three matches to finish with a team-best 15-3 record on the day. Carminucci went 7-1 in that stretch, while Gets was 5-1 and sophomore Renee Pite (Woodbridge, N.J./Amity Regional) was 5-0. Senior Nina Sayles (Mamaroneck, N.Y./Loomis Chaffee School) was also a surprising 8-1 during the final three matches – surprising because after going 6-0 in saber, she took up the epee and won two of three against NJIT.
The women return to action next Saturday at Farleigh Dickinson with matches against LIU-Post, Wagner, Temple, Johns Hopkins, Hunter and Drew.
MEN
Brandeis 18, Stevens 9 (S, 8-1; F, 8-1; E, 2-7)
Duke 18, Brandeis 9 (S, 3-6; F, 1-8; E, 5-4)
NYU 19, Brandeis 8 (S, 2-7; F, 4-5; E, 2-7)
Brandeis 14, Haverford 13 (S, 5-4; F, 5-4; E, 4-5)
Brandeis 24, Yeshiva 3 (S, 9-0; F, 7-2; E, 8-1)
NJIT 17, Brandeis 10 (S, 6-3; F, 3-6; E, 1-8)
The Brandeis men started the day with an 18-9 win over Stevens, with 8-1 wins in saber and foil offsetting a 7-2 epee defeat. Junior saberist Kyle Berney (Shreveport, La./Caddo Magnet School) posted a 3-0 mark against the Ducks, while four different fencers went 2-0. The epee squad bounced back with a 5-4 win over a Duke team ranked 10th in the nation, but Blue Devils were victors in the other two weapons, 6-3 in saber and 8-1 in foil. Junior Hunter Stusnick (New Vernon, N.J. / Chatham) went 3-0 to lead the epee squad's victory.
In the Judges' next match against UAA rivals NYU, they were swept in all three weapons, with foil posting a 4-5 record thanks a 2-1 mark by junior Elishua Litle (Haifa, Israel / Reali - Beit Beram), but no other fencer won more than one match, with saber and epee both falling, 2-7.
Brandeis bounced back with wins over Haverford and Yeshiva. Against the Garnet, each weapon was decided by a 5-4 score, with the Judges taking saber and foil for the victory. Berney again posted a 3-0 record en route to a team-best 10-3 record for the day. Senior Len Grazian (Barrington, Ill. / Barrington) was 2-0 in foil and three others went 2-1: junior Ben Kravetz (Scottsdale, Ariz. / Chapparral) in epee, rookie Leon Rotenstein (Ashland, Mass./Ashland) in saber and Litle in foil. Against Yeshiva, the Judges rolled to a 24-3 decision, with saber going 9-0 thanks to Rotenstein, junior Curtis Wilson (Denver, Colo. / Kent Denver) and Charles Catino (Bellvue, Wash./Hillside). Rookie Max Meier (Melrose, Mass./Malden Catholic) and junior Matthew Schattner (Montclair, N.J./Montclair) each went 3-0 in epee.
The Judges' day ended with a 17-10 defeat at the hands of New Jersey Institute of Technology. The saber squad provided a 6-3 win, as Rotenstein – who posted a team-high 11 wins in 17 matches – and Wilson each went 2-1.
Brandeis returns to action a week from Wednesday with the Beanpot Tournament at Boston College.