Harvard Fencing Heads to Princeton for Ivy League Championships
Freshman Lucas Lin (left) is part of the men's foil squad this season (Harvard Athletic Communications).
The Particulars
The Harvard men's and women's fencing teams head to Princeton,
N.J., for the 2011 Ivy League Championships Saturday and
Sunday.
Cohen Named National Fencer of the Week
Sophomore Benjamin Cohen
was named Men's National Fencer of the Week for Jan. 31-Feb. 6 by
CollegeFencing360.com. Cohen went undefeated in two duals and
fell only once in another Sunday to lead No. 2 Harvard to a perfect
3-0 day at the Eric Sollee Invitational hosted by MIT.
Kiefer Named "Primetime Performer" of the
Week
Freshman Alexandra Kiefer was named a "Primetime Performer" for
the week of Jan. 31-Feb. 6 by CollegeFencing360.com. Kiefer
went a perfect 9-0 Sunday, allowing a total of only 10 touches in
those nine bouts, to lead Harvard to three wins at the Eric Sollee
Invitational. Kiefer's spotless record was the highlight of a
foil squad that went 25-2 Sunday.
About Harvard
The No. 2 men's squad has marched to an 11-3 record in duals this
season, including wins over defending national champion Penn State
and ranked teams Duke, Columbia, Ohio State, Penn and St. John's.
The Crimson will be looking to claim its sixth Ivy title in
2011 and first since 2007.
The No. 3 Harvard women are 11-3 this season, having beaten defending national champion Penn State twice and owning wins over ranked teams St. John's and Penn. The Crimson is going for its fifth Ivy title in 2011 and first since 2009.
Women's Field
Princeton
The Tigers enter the competition as the defending champions,
having posted a 6-0 record at last season's event. The Tigers edged
Columbia by a 15-12 margin at the 2010 Ivy Round-Robin and Columbia
went on to finish second with a 5-1 mark. Princeton will be trying
to claim back-to-back titles for the first time since the 2000 and
2001 seasons.
Brown
The Bears, who are receiving votes in the latest USFCA
College Fencing Coaches Poll, will be looking to claim their first
Ivy title in 2011. Sophomore sabreist Caitlin Taylor and
freshman foilist Kathryn Hawrot posted 17-1 marks to lead
Brown to wins over Tufts, Dartmouth, MIT and Smith at the Northeast
Fencing Conference's meet No. 2, Jan. 22.
Columbia
The sixth-ranked Lions will be looking to claim their
ninth Ivy title in 2011 and first since 2008. Columbia, which
earned first-place honors in 2007 and 2008, was the last team to
successfully mount a title defense. Columbia has faced a
challenging slate thus far, taking part in both the NYU
Invitational and St. John's Cup. At the St. John's, the Lions
picked up a 14-13 win over third-ranked Harvard. The sabre squad
came up big against the Crimson, picking up six wins, including a
3-0 performance by junior Sammy Roberts.
Cornell
The Big Red, which is receiving votes in the latest USFCA
College Fencing Coaches Poll, will be looking to claim their first
Ivy title in 2011. Cornell enters the Ivy Round Robin with a 7-4
record, highlighted by wins over North Carolina (22-5) and John
Hopkins (18-9) at the Philadelphia Invitational Jan. 23. Junior
foilist Rebecca Hirschfeld led the team with a 15-3
record at that event.
Penn
The eighth-ranked Quakers will be looking to claim their
11th Ivy title in 2011 and first since 2004. Penn has taken part in
the Philadelphia Invitational, the Penn State Invitational and MIT
Invitational. Highlights by the Quakers include victories over
North Carolina (21-6 and 23-4), Duke (15-12) and Sacred Heart (19-8
and 19-8).
Princeton
The fourth-ranked Tigers will be looking to make it two
Ivy titles in a row as they play host to the 2011 Round-Robin. A
successful defense would yield the program's fifth Ivy
championship. Princeton most recently took on a challenging field
at the Northwestern Duals on Feb. 5-6 in Evanston, Ill., and earned
a notable win over ninth-ranked Temple (16-11).
Yale
The Bulldogs, who are receiving votes in the latest USFCA
College Fencing Coaches Poll, will be looking to claim their
seventh Ivy title in 2011 and first since 2002. Yale most recently
downed Vassar (16-11) on Jan. 31 and Sacred Heart (19-8) on Jan.
29. The Epee squad led Yale in the win over Vassar as it posted an
8-1 record, led by senior Tasha Garcia and sophomore
Robyn Shaffer, who both went undefeated.
Men's Field
Brown
The Bears, who are receiving votes in the latest 2011
USFCA College Fencing Coaches Poll, will be looking to claim their
first Ivy title in 2011. Sophomore Teddy Weller posted a
14-1 mark in sabre to lead the Bears to wins over Tufts, Vassar,
Dartmouth, Brandeis and MIT at the Northeast Fencing Conference's
meet No. 2, Jan. 22. Freshman foilist Ben
McDonald chipped in with a 10-2 record at the same event.
Columbia
The eighth-ranked Lions will be looking to claim their
35th Ivy title in 2011 and first since 2008. Columbia has faced a
challenging slate thus far as part of both the NYU Invitational and
St. John's Cup fields. In the SJU Cup, freshman foilist Alex
Pensler posted a 9-6 mark against some of the nation's best,
while fellow freshman foilist Bo Charles posted 3-0
sweeps against Harvard and St. John's.
Penn
The seventh-ranked Quakers will be looking to claim their
15th Ivy title in 2011 and first since 2009. Penn opened the season
with an eight-match win streak that included wins over Duke
(15-12), North Carolina (19-8) and John's Hopkins (19-8). Sophomore
sabreist Evan Prochniak posted a perfect 10-0 record at
the Penn State Invitational and was then named
CollegeFencing360.com's National Fencer of the Week on Feb. 2.
Princeton
The sixth-ranked Tigers will be looking to make it two
Ivy titles in a row as they play host to the 2011 Ivy Round-Robin.
A successful defense would yield the program's 14th Ivy
championship. Princeton most recently took on a challenging field
at the Northwestern Duals on Feb. 5 and 6 in Evanston, Ill., where
the Tigers' downed 10th-ranked Stanford, 17-10, in their only win
versus a ranked opponent.
Yale
The Bulldogs, who are receiving votes in the latest USFCA
College Fencing Coaches Poll, will be looking to claim their fourth
Ivy title in 2011 and first since 1996. Yale most recently knocked
off Vassar Jan. 31 by a 19-8 margin. Sophomore saberist Colin
Mills assembled a perfect 3-0 record against Vassar, as did
senior foilist Nathaniel Botwinick and junior
foilist Shiv Kachru.
Up Next
Both Harvard squads will compete the annual fencing version of the
Beanpot in Waltham, Mass., Feb. 16.
