Defending Champs Return

The reigning NCAA Champion Harvard fencing teams posted mixed results in their season debut at the Garret Penn State Collegiate Open this weekend, with the women’s team racking up an impressive tally of successes while a slightly limited men’s squad put on a lackluster performance.

The Crimson’s women foilists set a blistering pace for the year to come, as junior captain and reigning junior world champion Emily Cross placed No. 1 and freshman Arielle Pensler finished No. 4. All four competing Harvard foilists finished in the tournament’s top ten.

“The women were here in force,” coach Peter Brand said. “The freshmen ladies in foil will all start for us, and they showed a lot of strength, moreso than I expected.”

“Arielle Pensler showed a lot of spunk,” he added.

Indeed, in her first collegiate tournament, Pensler had the chance to encounter All-American competition and avenge a searing loss to that competition in quick succession. Pensler lost her round-robin bout against second-team All-American Samantha Nemecek of Northwestern, but beat her soundly by a score of 15-6 in the second round of direct-elimination.

“I was nervous before,” said Pensler, one of three freshman foilists on a very young foil squad, “but our team was very good about cheering everyone on.”

The Crimson women also performed well in sabre, with four fencers placing in the top fifteen. Juniors Sarah Parker and Carolyn Wright, who had the difficult task of facing each other in the first round of direct elimination, finished No. 4 and No. 14, respectively. Freshman Eva Rosenberg made a smooth transition to collegiate fencing, finishing No. 5.

“It was really good to get to know the team and get comfortable,” Rosenberg said.

As the team settles in, incorporating its young members, it appears ready to pose as much of a threat to opponents as it did in its championship run of last year.

“I utilize the tournament primarily as a way to look at our strength,” Brand said. “It’s crucial to see how freshmen perform in [competitive] conditions, and this was a really good indicator for us.”

Things looked especially good for Cross, who picked up right where she left off last year, winning all of her single-elimination matches handily.

“For me it feels like the middle of the season,” said Cross, who fenced in individual competitions throughout the summer, “but [this tournament] was a lot of fun. It’s nice to get into the rhythm with the team.”

For the men’s team, rhythm was a little harder to come by. Because the Penn tournament is mostly diagnostic, Brand said he allowed a number of his more experienced fencers to stay in Cambridge to work on theses or attend job interviews.

The Harvard men’s strongest performances came from senior captain Tim Hagamen, who placed No. 4 in sabre, and from sophomore foilist Kai Itameri-Kinter, who placed No. 5.

“Last year I won [at this tournament],” said Hagamen, who lost two close, draining matches, 15-3 in the semifinals of single elimination and 15-14 in the consolation match. “It’s kind of difficult to do worse, but it was a strong field and there are some great fencers out there, so overall I’m satisfied.”

Hagamen had the difficult task of fencing teammate Scott DeGiulio in the opening round of direct elimination. Despite the frustration of the tournament, he expressed confidence about his team’s prospects for the coming year.

“It’s going to be hard to repeat the success we had last year,” Hagamen said. “Hopefully by the time the regular season starts, I’m going to step it up.”