NEW YORK - The Haverford College men's fencing team took on some of the best fencers in the nation Sunday at the second annual United States Collegiate Fencing Squad Championships hosted by New York University at the Coles Sports Center.
The tournament was conducted in the United States Fencing Association format of three-on-three to 45 touches. Eight of the top-10 ranked schools in the country sent competitors, as well as Division III stalwarts Haverford, Johns Hopkins University, and Brandeis University.
Facing a tough opening draw, Haverford's 13th-seeded epee squad, looking to follow-up on its third-place finish last year, fell 45-19 to fourth-seeded Ohio State. Despite a spirited effort, the Fords could not take down the highly-ranked Buckeyes.
The sabreists drew No. 2 seed St. John's University to open the day of competition. Although it suffered a 45-20 defeat, the squad did well holding its own against some of the best fencers in the nation. Junior Linus Marco outscored two of his opponents in the relay while freshman Josh Nadel had a strong round, scoring four touches against one opponent. Sophomore Harris Rothman also fenced one of his best bouts of the season, scoring three in his bout. Sabre finished 15th overall after being eliminated by the Red Storm.
Undeterred by facing Notre Dame in the opening round, the foilists dug deep to give the Fighting Irish a battle. Lawrence Wang fenced with great consistency, racking up touches in each of his bouts. Overcoming a slow start, Sam Levinson, finished with a strong 6-5 showing against the Notre Dame C-strip fencer Grant Hodges. Max Findley, assuming the role of squad anchor in his freshman year, started and finished the day strong, going 4-5 against
both Hodges and Enzo Castellani, the respective C-strip and A-strip positions of the Notre Dame Foil Squad. Even though Haverford fell 45-22 to eventual squad champion Notre Dame, the lessons gleaned will help in imminent conference and regional championships.
The Fords head to Jersey City on Sunday for the Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Fencing Association championship hosted by Drew University.
Epee- 13th of 18
Sabre- 15th of 16
Foil- 14th of 18