10 Harvard Fencers Qualify for Nationals at NCAA Northeast Regional Championships

The Crimson faced tough competition on Sunday in the grueling NCAA Northeast Regional Fencing Championships at Tufts University, coming away with mixed results. Despite some of the lows, 10 Harvard athletes qualified for the 2025 NCAA Fencing Championships later this month.

The competition comes after the women’s fencing team nabbed the Ivy Title earlier this season, with the men placing fourth. Still, the regional championships posed a different challenge as athletes dealt with the pressure for national championship qualification.

“It’s a really hectic scene because there’s all these people running around from place to place,” freshman Sarah Gu described. “It’s a really intense, hard-fought bout because within five touches anything can happen.”

The women’s team placed within the first two standings of each category.

For the women’s saber, the Crimson rose from placing second in 2024 to securing first this year. Freshman Jenna Shoman entered as a No. 6 seed but shined in her first regionals by placing first in the women’s saber with a 19-4 record. The Crimson occupied the top two spots, with Kaitlyn Pak following shortly after with a 17-6 score.

Because of her initially higher seeding, Shoman was exempt from the first round.

“Just watching people fence the first round honestly put me more in a competitive spirit,” Shoman said. “I had a lot of fun in the first round so I think that set me up for the rest of the day.”

“It was a really really long day, but it was a lot of fun,” she added. “I’m really glad that my result was able to show and portray all the work that I put in.”

Although the Crimson women’s performance dominated, there were some shortcomings compared to 2024.

The women’s foil dropped from first to second, with sophomore Olympian Jessica Guo — who placed first in foil at the national championship last year — falling from first to sixth place.

Epee had a similar showing, as sophomore Isabella Chin went from third to 16th, and senior captain Emily Vermeule fell from seventh to 20th. In the saber, junior Chloe Williams fell from second to 15th.

However, the performance remained strong with two-time Olympic senior medalist Lauren Scruggs placing second once again in foil with a 20-3 score and +52 indicator — a metric for seeding that counts touches scored minus those received.

In the epee, the women rose from third in 2024 to second this time around. The Crimson’s top two standings were held by freshmen, both of whom will be competing at the championships later this month.

Yasmine Khamis began the tournament as a No.8 seed, but swept a silver medal honors in her first regionals with a 19-8 record and +45 indicator. Gu entered No.6, but secured fourth place with a score of 19-8 and indicator of +26.

“I think initially I wasn’t expected to fence in the first pool but then I got thrown in there last minute,” Gu said. “There was a lot of energy, a lot of really great competitors around me.”

The Crimson men experienced a worse outcome compared to their 2024 performance.

The men’s epee fell from fifth to sixth, while the saber dropped from second to 13th. In the men’s foil, sophomore Daniel Zhang fell from sixth to 13th while senior team captain James Chen went from ninth to 23rd. In the men’s saber, junior Matthew Linsky fell to 13th from second in 2024.

“It was the longest and most drawn out competition that we’ve had,” freshman Andrew Chen said. “So it was really about a battle of will and a battle of endurance, more than it was a battle of how good you were as a fencer.”

There were still many impressive results, with many freshmen regional debuts. In the men’s foil, the Crimson men rose from sixth in 2024 to fifth this year, with freshman Andrew Chen placing fifth, scoring a 13-10 mark. Chen outperformed his initial No. 12 seed and will be advancing to the championships.

“I was pretty sick leading up to the competition, so I was worried about my performance going into the competition, and then I had a pretty slow start where I almost didn't make the second round,” Chen said.

“I think it was the deciding bout — whether I was going to qualify or not,” he added. “And so that was a really high moment for me.”

In the men’s epee, sophomore Henry Lawson finished sixth with a score of 17-6. Freshman Olympian Nicholas Zhang followed in seventh place with a 15-8 mark.

Anticipation remains high for the Crimson teams as they head into the NCAA Fencing Championships from March 20-23 at Penn State University.

“I feel a little nervous,” Gu said. “But I'm really excited, especially because I know I'll be supported by my amazing teammates.”

“It’s always been a really big dream of mine for my college like this in such a big stage,” she said. “So I'm definitely filled with a lot of anticipation but I’m really confident in our team and I know we can pull through.”