Men knock off NYU, 14-13, to highlight Eric Sollee Invitational

Berwyn Lu prepares for a fencing match
Berywn Lu '24 (Photo by Sportspix.com)

CAMBRIDGE, Mass – The Brandeis University fencing teams met six teams from outside the New England region today and the Judges' men and women each posted 4-2 records with significant victories on the day.

TEAM RECORDS

  • Brandeis Men: 16-9.
  • Brandeis Women: 16-13

TEAM RESULTS

  • The Judges opened the day against Division I New Jersey Institute of Technology. While the men suffered their first loss of the day to the Highlanders, 14-13, the women emerged with a 16-11 win. The men's sabre squad were victorious, 7-2, but NJIT won the other two weapons, 6-3. The women swept all three weapons, including 5-4 victories in sabre and epee and 6-3 in foil.
  • The Judges had little trouble with Yeshiva in Round 2, with the men winning 26-1 and the women 27-0.
  • In the third round, Brandeis met Haverford and head coach Chris Spencer '96. The men prevailed, 16-11, when a 9-0 sabre result outmatched 6-3 and 5-4 losses in foil and epee. The women rolled to a 23-4 win over the Fords.
  • All six weapon squad were victorious in Round 4 against Stevens Institute of Technology. The men defeated the Ducks, 23-4, while the women were 20-7 victors. Stevens was ranked second in Division III and 11th nationally on the men's side, and
  • In Round 5, the Judges met University Athletic Association rivals NYU. The men upset the Violets, 14-13, while the women fell, 15-12. The NYU men were the top-ranked Division III team and eighth among all schools in the latest USFCA polls. In both meets, Brandeis won sabre, 6-3, and epee, 5-4. In foil, the Brandeis men were able to pick up three crucial wins, while the women suffered an 8-1 loss.
  • The day closed out against Duke. The ninth-ranked Blue Devil men defeated the Judges, 16-11, while the 12th-ranked women defeated Brandeis, 20-7.

SQUAD RESULTS

  • The Brandeis men's sabre squad continued their excellent 2022-23 season, winning all six matches, with none closer than 6-3. The squad improved to 24-1 this season.
  • The women's sabre squad was nearly their equal, going 5-1 on the day to improve to 22-7 overall. Women's epee also went 5-1 on the day to improve to 16-13 overall.
  • Women's foil went 4-2, while men's epee was 3-3 and men's foil was 2-4.

TOP INDIVIDUALS

  • Senior Maggie Shealy (Chapel Hill, N.C./East Chapel Hill) continued her quest for a third All-America honor, as she went 14-1, winning her first 13 matches before going 2-1 against Duke. First-year Kat Xikes (Chatham, N.J. / Chatham) earned a win against all six opponents, going 11-4 overall in sabre.
  • Women's foil senior Sammy Shortall (Norwell, Mass. / Norwell) also had a win against all six opponents, posting a 9-5 record.
  • For the women's epee squad, senior Monica Aponte (San Juan, P.R. / St. John's School) had seven wins, while classmate Paula Thornton (Marietta, Ga. / Campbell), in her second tournament back from a semester abroad, had six wins. Both players had wins against each of the opponents they faced.
  • On the men's side, junior Berwyn Lu (Atlanta, Ga. / Lovett School) was the wins leader on the day, going 15-3, with three 3-0 matches and three 2-1 matches. Sophomore Tony Escueta (Grand Prairie, Texas / Abeka Home School Academy) earned 10 wins and had just two losses in his four matches.
  • Sophomore Mark Shamis (San Jose, Calif. / Leigh) paced the epee squad, going 2-1 in five of his six matches to post an 11-7 record. He also defeated at least one opponent in all six matches. Classmate Tal Kronrod (Concord, Mass. / Concord Carlisle) was 7-4 in five matches.
  • Senior Jake Hempe (Coram, N.Y. / Newfield) went 7-5 to lead the men's foil squad.

 

UP NEXT

  • The Judges wrap up the dual meet season in two weekends when they travel to Durham, North Carolina, for the Duke Invitational on February 11 and 12.