CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The No. 6 Harvard men's fencing program will travel to Jamaica, N.Y., for the St. John's Invitational, which is set for Saturday, Jan. 22.
 
The invitational will feature five schools ranked in the top 10 in the country, according to the United States Fencing Coaches' Association rankings. 
 
Starting off the meet at 10 a.m., Harvard will take on fifth-ranked Penn State for the second time this season, with the first coming at the Sacred Heart Invitational where the Nittany Lions narrowly took the win, 14-13. The Crimson has won eight of the last 10 matches vs. PSU dating back to 2015.
 
In the second match of the day at 11:15 a.m., the Crimson will matchup against second-ranked and fellow Ivy League member Columbia. Harvard won both meetings, 15-12, during the 2019-20 season, at the St. John's Invitational and the Ivy League Championships. 
 
At the midway point, Harvard will face off with top-ranked Notre Dame at 12:30 p.m., for the first time since the Crimson earned a 16-11 win at the St. John's Invitational in January of 2020. 
 
After a short break, the Crimson draws No. 3 Ohio State for a 2:15 p.m. start. The two schools will share the strips for the 12th time since their first matchup in 2005, with the Buckeyes holding a slight one-match advantage.
 
For the finale at 3:30 p.m., Harvard will play the hosts, St. John's. The two schools first met in 1939 and have competed 18 times total, splitting the previous six matchups dating back to 2014.
 

What to Know

• The Crimson come into the weekend with a 7-1 record.
• Harvard returns to the St. John's Invitational along with the other participants after a year off due to the cancellation (COVID-19). 
• Mitchell Saron is coming into the day after a going perfect 12-0 in his bouts at the Sacred Heart Invitational in December.
• Filip Dolegiewicz enters the invitational after posting a +33-touch differential and an 8-1 record in his bouts in the last meet.

 

At the Helm

Daria Schneider is in her third year as head coach of the Harvard men's and women's fencing programs in 2021-22. In her first season as head coach, Schneider led the men's team to a program-record 20 dual wins and an outright Ivy League Championship. She led the women's team to the NCAA regionals where four fencers placed in the top 10.
 

Up Next

The Crimson will return home to host New York University on Jan. 29, at 3 p.m., inside Malkin Athletic Center.