Nov. 30, 2009
Cambridge, Mass.- The Penn State men and women's fencing team competed in its first dual action of the season at the Harvard Invitational yesterday, Nov. 29. Penn State competed against NYU, Harvard, Princeton, Sacred Heart and Vassar at the one-day event.
Penn State dominated NYU in the first round, boasting a 24-3 finish in the men's competition and 25-2 finish in the women's competition. Both the men and women's fencers went 9-0 in the epee against NYU.
In the third round, the men's fencers narrowly edged Harvard, 15-12, but the women's fencers fell just short to Harvard, 13-14. Despite losing 4-5 and 2-7 in the sabre and epee, the men's 9-0 foil score was the deciding factor that gave Penn State the win in the end.
In the fourth round against Princeton, both the men and women's fencing teams struggled, but pulled off the needed wins, 14-13 and 16-11, respectively.
Penn State came back strong against Sacred Heart in the fifth round, beating them 21-6 in both the men and women's competition. Also during this round, the women's fencers went 9-0 in the epee.
The Penn State fencers never lost their momentum again, finishing the sixth round against Vassar with a 22-5 win in the men's competition and 23-4 in the women's competition.
The Penn State fencers also did well individually throughout the tournament. Junior foilist Doris Willette (Lafayette, Calif.) finished the day 9-0 overall in her bouts against NYU, Harvard and Princeton. Freshman standout Jessica Russo (Wayne, N.J.) also did well, starting her first collegiate dual action with a 9-2 record. Senior Anastasia Ferdman (Maalot, Israel), the defending National Champion in the epee, continued her success with a 10-1 finish.
In the men's foil, junior Samuel Perkins (Petaluma, Calif.) had a 6-0 record in his bouts against Sacred Heart and Vassar, and sophomore Miles Chamley-Watson (Philadelphia, Pa.) finished his first dual action of the season with a 14-1 record. Senior Daniel Bak (Franklin Lakes, N.J.) also faired well in his first dual action, ending the day with a 10-1 record.
The men and women's fencing teams will head to Pittsburgh, Pa. this Friday for the Pittsburgh Open. The tournament begins at 8 a.m. on Dec. 4 and concludes on Sunday, Dec. 6.