M., W. Fencing Sweep Princeton, Yale for Ivy Title

With an Ivy League title on the line this past Saturday, the Harvard men’s and women’s fencing squads dismissed Princeton and Yale from the Malkin Athletic Center. In doing so, they made history.

In the closest match since their season-opening defeat at the hands of Columbia, the Harvard men edged the Tigers by a score of 14-13, then completed the day with a 19-8 victory against the Bulldogs. The women dominated Princeton and Yale by scores of 19-8 and 22-5.

Princeton pounced on the Crimson men in the foil and epee, with 6-3 and 5-4 victories, respectively, but Harvard’s dominant 7-2 defeat of the Tigers in the saber proved just enough to keep championship hopes alive for the afternoon bouts against the Bulldogs.

With the Tigers out of the picture, the Harvard men turned their attention to bowling over the Bulldogs. And they did, defeating Yale in all three techniques. The win gave the men their first share of the Ivy Championship since 1977, when they split with Cornell and Penn.

Junior Tim Hagamen, sophomore Dan Sachs, and co-captain David Jakus dominated in the saber, defeating Yale by a score of 7-2. Sophomore Sam Cross lost only once in foil competition, and sophomore Enoch Woodhouse manhandled last season’s NCAA runner-up in foil, Corey Werk—altogether, a 7-2 victory in foil.

In epee, the Crimson men slipped past the Bulldogs 5-4.

Harvard coach Peter Brand, who met a flurry of confetti after the day’s bouts, extolled his team’s resolve.

“We were emotionally crushed after our loss to Columbia earlier this year,” he said, “but our captains helped bring everyone together to fight through Princeton and then Yale today.”

Meanwhile, the Harvard women ensured that the men need not celebrate alone by capping their perfect season and first-ever Ivy League Championship with victories over Princeton and Yale. Their 19-8 punishment of Princeton included victories in all three events and impressive performances by a stellar freshman class.

“These are the best teams I’ve ever coached,” said Brand of the men’s and women’s squads. “We pride ourselves on recruiting individuals who are most importantly of great character, and secondly, great fencers, and our teams this year certainly embody those priorities.”

With freshmen Carolyn Wright and Alexa Weingarden going undefeated for the day in saber, the class of 2008 set a precedent for years to come. Meanwhile, co-captain Chloe Stineorf proved perfect in foil competition, as did Jasmine McGlade in epee.

Yale faired no better against the young Crimson crew, falling 22-5 overall. Victories in the foil (7-2), epee (6-3), and saber (9-0) left no doubt about the extent of Harvard’s dominance.

Players and coaches credited the year’s improved chemistry in putting the women over the top after a frustrating string of seasons that saw Columbia emerge as a perennial power.

“After two and a half years it feels amazing to finally have all our work pay off,” Crimson co-captain Annie Austin said. “It was really a team effort. From coach Brand’s techniques, to recruiting, to our hard work, it all came together today.”

With regional and national championships upcoming, the Crimson men and women will try to continue with their recent success.

“Both teams have represented Harvard exceptionally well all year,” Brand said. “But an Ivy championship is just the first of several goals. Ultimately, our sights are set on the NCAA championships.”