NYU Fence Team Smashes Harvard In Weekend Meet

Perennial powerhouse New York University romped over Harvard's fencing team Saturday, 23-4, as expected.

The star-studded NYU squad, which dominated every event, took an early lead from the inexperienced Crimson fencers and never let them within striking distance after the first round.

Sabremen Loren Joseph and Steven Hobbs each won one bout, while promising beginner Larry Tu lost a close decision, 5-3, as NYU's powerful sabre team opened up a commanding 7-2 margin.

The strong NYU foilmen were even more impressive. They whitewashed the Crimson foil team, including standout Howard Weiss, 9-0.

Harvard picked up its other two victories in the epee competition, where John Hawkins and captain Eugene White each won one bout. White, one of the few bright spots for Harvard in the meet, also dropped a close bout, 5-4, to NYU star Risto Urme, NCAA epee champion and member of the Finnish Olympic team.

Looking for Experience

Despite the dismal results, the meet was a valuable experience for the team, White said yesterday. "We knew we couldn't win, so we went into the meet looking to gain confidence and experience against outstanding opponents," he said.

The Harvard fencers, now 2-2 for the season after back-to-back losses in New York over the weekend, will have a long wait before they see how much experience and confidence they have gained. Their next meet, against Brandeis, is not until February 6.