Three Fencers Bring Harvard 22nd-Place Finish at NCAAs

It was a banner year for the Harvard women’s fencing team, and while their male counterparts were not as successful, the Crimson men continued to make strides against top-rate Ivy League competition.

The Harvard women finished the dual season 15-7 (1-4 Ivy) and continued their success in the postseason. At the Intercollegiate Fencing Association (IFA) Championship, Harvard finished in fifth place, behind St. John’s and Ivy rivals Penn, Princeton and Yale. The performance was an improvement over last year, when the Crimson placed sixth.

Harvard displayed depth in the foil, where the team took a silver finish and three team members qualified for the individual championships. In addition, senior Tamara Knutsen finished in the top 12 in the epee, earning the right to compete in the epee individual championships.

In Harvard’s best event, the women’s foil, sophomore Liz Blase finished fourth with a 4-3 record in the final round.

Co-captain Ellen Shulz finished second out of six fencers in Pool B, qualifying with a 3-2 record and 19-11 score. But Shulz could not repeat that performance in the finals, struggling to a 1-6 record. In the finals, Blase got the better of Shulz with a 5-2 win.

“Our foil squad has had a good season, but we turned it up a notch [at IFAs],” Shulz said. “Winning some unexpected bouts gave as a real boost.”

In the women’s epee, Knutsen—who just switched from foil last year—continued to dominate with her new weapon. She placed third with a 5-2 record and a score of 32-20 in the individual finals, falling to St. John’s Emese Takcs and Princeton’s Maya Lawrence.

Schulz and Knutsen both earned trips to NCAAs in their respective events, where they each placed 21st out of 24 fencers.

“Overall our season was very satisfying,” Schulz said. “While there were a few tough losses, we held our own and fought hard against strong opponents.”

Unlike the women’s team, which enjoyed much individual success, the men’s team had a more trying year, going winless in Ivy competition and 12-8 overall Freshman Mike Soto with the epee, sophomore Noah Fabricant with the sabre and Schmidt with the foil were the team’s leaders.

“Our success this season has been based on having a well-rounded team,” said co-captain Ben Schmidt, who went 35-18 during the dual season before finishing 22nd at NCAAs. Schmidt had qualified for nationals by upsetting defending U.S. foil champion Jon Tiomkin of St. John’s at the regionals.

The combined finishes of Schulz, Knutsen and Schmidt gave the Harvard team a 22nd-place overall finish at NCAAs.

FENCING

RESULTS Men 12-8 (0-4 Ivy), Women 16-7 (1-4 Ivy)

COACH Peter Brand

CAPTAINS Ben Schmidt and David Wollenberg (men),

Nicole Jarrett and Ellen Schulz (women)

HIGHLIGHTS Harvard women place fifth at Intercollegiate Fencing Association Championships. Schulz and senior Tamara Knutsen each place 21st in their respective events at NCAAs. Schmidt places 22nd in the men’s foil at NCAAs.