Aggressive Fencing Team Slashes Holy Cross, 24-3

Inspired by a misprint in Wednesday's Crimson which called it the "greatest" team in years. Harvard's enthusiastic fencing team impaled Holy Cross, 24-3, at Worcester yesterday.

Harvard looked especially strong in epee. All three Crimson swordsmen--Harry Jergensen. Paul Viita, and Steve Americkaner--were undefeated in three bouts. Viita, a sophomore who was fencing his first match for Harvard, gave a standout performance.

In foil, junior Sam Fouts led the romp, winning all three of his matches. Art Weisman, another outstanding sophomore, and Cliff Ruderman added two victories apiece. Tom Mistick tallied a single win.

The saber team fenced well, but could have done better, according to Jergesen, the team captain. Ron Winfield. John Gersh, and Bill Banchs each won two bouts, but Winfield and sophomore Tony Abbott gave up two of Harvard's three losses. Junior Bob Barnard. Harvard's best saber man, did not fence yesterday.

Surprising Score

The size of yesterday's victory surprised coach Edo Marion even though Harvard has always beaten Holy Cross. "I didn't expect such a score." Marion said. "24-3 is a very, very big score in fencing."

Jergesen, a first-team all-Ivy fencer two years ago, said the score came as no surprise to him. "We're an inexperienced team," he said, "but Holy Cross is always slow, and we won easily."

Marion said he hopes that yesterday's win will not make his fencers overconfident. "It was a good score, and I hope it will be an incentive. But we need work on speed and weapon control. There was too much emotion and still not enough calculation in yesterday's match," he said.

The Crimson fencers will meet South-eastern Massachusetts Technical Institute, another traditionally weak opponent, here on Saturday. The team's first real test will be with M.I.T. on December 6.