Harvard Shakes Off Rust, Plucks Eagles

Some would say the key to overcoming rust is simple: rise to the occasion.

A two-month pause between meets would be tough for any squad to overcome, but with the addition of a three-week break from practice for intercession and exams, things only get harder.

After struggles last weekend, the Harvard fencing team rebounded last night at the Malkin Athletic Center, as the No. 1 men remained undefeated in a 21-6 victory, and the No. 3 women posted a 26-1 rout.

“They’re really rusty,” Crimson coach Peter Brand said. “The problem is that the second half of the year is the toughest one and clearly it was too much of a break. But they look like they’re sharpening up.”

Things looked to be heading in a negative direction, as injuries sidelined numerous top fencers, including freshman foil fencer Artemisha Goldfeder and senior saber fencer Dan Sachs.

But the squad as a whole stepped things up a notch. The biggest surprise of the night came in the women’s epee: after falling 5-4 to Duke last Sunday, the team of sophomore Maria Larsson and seniors Jasmine McGlade and Precious Eboigbe dominated to pull out a 9-0 win.

“They ruled the roost,” Harvard coach Peter Brand said. “They were the best so far this year. They really came through today, they fenced to their potential.”

The foil squad continued to perform flawlessly, finishing 9-0, as sophomore Elizabeth Bast filled in for Goldfeder with a perfect 3-0 night.

Women’s saber posted the only loss of the night, finishing 8-1. But the squad also saw its fair share of highlights, including junior Alexa Weingarden, who was touched just three times on the night while winning her final two bouts 5-0.

On the men’s side, increasing numbers of new faces left many in doubt as to how the team would respond. But adversity could not hold back the top team in the nation. Behind great preparation and the loudest fan base this season, the foil team put on an impressive 8-1 performance. Freshman Long Ouyang filling in for a 2-1 finish, while senior Enoch Woodhouse brought friends and his game to win all three of his bouts.

“Woodhouse has his posse [of fans]. They’re a terrific bunch of kids and we’re delighted to have them, because they make things more exciting,” Brand said. “When you have fans like that it makes a big difference. We fence at a much higher level when we hear all these cheers.”

The closest competition of the night came in the men’s epee with just a 6-3 victory, as freshman Billy Stallings fell in two close 5-4 bouts and classmate Karl Harmenberg finished 2-1. The Saber posted the other two losses with a 7-2 finish behind sophomore Scott DiGiulio, who went 3-0 and classmate Craig Gorin who filled in for Sachs.

“What it all comes down to is our preparation,” said senior saber fencer Tim Hagamen. “After our victories this week we know we have to work really hard to get to a higher level.”

Many question marks remain, and with the toughest competition of the season in the coming weeks, the squad will need stellar performances and healthy fencers. Only time will tell whether they can continue to rise to the occasion.