This summer, we'll be taking a look back at our 2022 Hall of Fame inductees through the lens of The Justice, Brandeis's student newspaper.

We hope you can join us for the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Gosman Sports Center on October 8, 2022. Discounted early registration tickets are now available for purchase! 

This week, Bill Shipman led the men's fencing team to the 1983 New England Championship!

TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 1983

The Justice Sports

MEN'S FENCING WIN'S NEW ENGLAND TITLE

By DAVID BAXTER

There are some things that can't be denied, and the fact that the New England championship would belong the Brandeis men's fencing team is one of those things.

On Saturday, the men traveled to Trinity College in Hartford to battle the likes of Brown, MIT, Trinity and Holy Cross and snatched a well-deserved first-place finish. It was text-book excitement as the tournament came down to the last round with Trinity trailing Brandeis by two bouts, 36-34. Trinity and Brandeis faced off in the final round and when the blades stopped flashing the score was knotted 38-38. This forced the outcome to be decided by a complicated system of indicators. Not for 90 minutes did the the final results show that Brandeis had edged Trinity by two touches. The men brought home the title that had eluded them for some time.

Coach Shipman was visibly elated with the results and claimed that "It was a good climax to a long season, everyone did a good job." The squad, comign off a disappointing 21-6 loss at the hands of MIT a week earlier, fenced with spirit in the tournament. Scott Hengen, who would later in the afternoon capture individual honors in the sabre, teamed up with an inspired Harold Waisel, who copped a fourth-place finish in the individual sabre tournament, and Hengen showed that they had gained experience.

Captain Matt Weingarten and Greg Stewart teamed up in epee. Both fenced extremely well in the morning's team competition and both saw action in the individual tournament in the evening. Senior Matt Weingarten in his last tournament battled for a third-place finish in the individuals. Weingarten was overjoyed with the team win and said, "It was a team effort, we pulled together and fought for every point and that made the difference." Weingarten also had praise for Coach Shipman and said he thinks, "This is a the beginning of a dynasty for the fencing team, due to the hard work of Bill (Shipman)."

Craig Rocklin and Craig Russell did the work in foil, picking up crucial bouts along the way. Rocklin improved steadily as the day wore on, and he had a good shot at winning the individual title as he jumped out with three wins in his first bouts before a knee injury forced him to withdraw. Shipman claimed, "It was a real shame because he (Rocklin) was in the driver's seat and could possibly have finished first." The injury shouldn't keep Craig from competing in the NCAA qualifier later this week.

The men finished up their season the week before with the loss to MIT, but ended up with a fine 8-3 record overall. Coach Shipman was pleased with the season and the championship and is "looking forward to next year when we'll be defending champions." The men stand to be equally strong next season. Matt Weingarten, a leader and experienced fencer, will be sorely missed when he graduates in the spring, but the team is, on the whole, young and talented. The Judges should be strong in New England in the years to come.

The women's squad also deserves recognition as they ended their season with six straight victories, including their downing of Harvard, 9-7. The other three victories included an 11-5 thrashing of Wellesley, 11-5 over St. Johns, 9-7 over Stevens Tech, 9-7 over Fairleigh Dickinson and 12-4 over Rhode Island College.

The women were led by a strong Nancy Facher who won all by two in the winning streak. Sharon Sassler also proved herself, tacking on needed victories in all the meets of the winning streak. The JV squad posted a winning streak of their own, winning their last five meets after a slow start in the first semester.

The women are also looking to match the men's New England title. Coach Shipman says they have a very good shot to be in the top two or three spots. The women also await an invitation to the NCAA regionals which consists of the top teams in New York and New England.

Two New England champs for Brandeis fencing and Coach Shipman in '83? Not impossible.