Photo of Senior Anna Podolsky, courtesy of Gil Talbot.
The Particulars:
Harvard hosts Tufts in its only home dual meet of the 2009-10
campaign. The Crimson is coming off of six dual meet victories at
the Harvard Invitational, including a win over the defending
national champion, Penn State.
Last Time Out:
The Crimson hosted the Harvard Invitational Nov. 29 at the Gordon
Track. Harvard earned victories over all six teams competing,
Penn State, Princeton, North Carolina, NYU, Sacred Heart and
Vassar.
Sophomore co-captain Caroline Vloka posted a perfect 18-0 record
in the sabre while fellow sophomore co-captain Noam Mills won all
14 of her bouts in the epee.
About Harvard:
Today's competition is the Crimson's only home dual
meet of the 2009-10 campaign and is the third event of the season.
Harvard is led by sophomore co-captains Caroline Vloka in the sabre
and Noam Mills in the epee. The Crimson enters the weekend with a
perfect 6-0 dual meet record after defeating all six teams at the
Harvard Invitational.
Harvard had two fencers medal at the Garrett Penn State
Open, Nov. 21-22. Caroline Vloka earned a silver medal
in the sabre and Noam Mills took home the bronze medal in the
foil.
About Tufts:
Tufts enters the dual meet with an overall record of 1-2. The
Jumbos have defeated Yeshiva, 16-11, and lost to Stevens Tech,
22-4, and Wellesley, 21-6. Sophomore Sarah Danly, a sabre fencer,
posted a perfect 9-0 record against her opposition in the first
three dual matches. Classmate Brianna Smith also had a winning
record for the Jumbos with a 6-3 mark in the sabre.
Tufts is fielding a very new team for 2009-10. Of the fencers who
started for the Jumbos against Stevens Tech, Wellesley and Yeshiva,
two had never fenced before and two had fenced one year or less.
Five starters are first years and Several others are
sophomores.
Last Year's Meeting:
The Crimson and Jumbos met Nov. 21, 2008 with Harvard earning a
22-5 victory in the first and only home dual meet of the 2008-09
season.
Fresh Success:
Members of the class of 2013 have contributed to the success of
the Harvard women's fencing team so far and have achieved
individual success as well. At the Garrett Penn State Open, Elena
Helgiu placed 16th in the foil, Nadia Eldeib placed 18th in the
epee and Felicia Sun grabbed a 19th place finish in the epee.
After the Harvard Invitational, Eldeib sports a 10-2 record while
Helgiu boasts an 8-1 mark. Chou and Sun are undefeated so far with
records of 3-0 and 6-0, respectively.
Stately Record:
Harvard is undefeated in matches held in Massachusetts, with a
14-0 record, dating back to last season. In 2009-10, the Crimson
owns a 6-0 record in matches hosted in the Bay State. Including
today's match with Tufts, Harvard has seven matches in
Massachusetts remaining this season.
Looking Forward:
The Crimson will take a break from competition following
today's match and will resume action Jan. 24, 2010 at the St.
John's Invitational in New York. Harvard's next dual
meet is slated for Jan. 30 at Brandeis with Duke and Yeshiva along
with the Judges.
