CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – A historic year for Harvard fencing continues, as a program record eight fencers have punched their tickets to the 2024 Paris Olympics. Lauren Scruggs, Jessica Zi Jia Guo, Elizabeth Tartakovsky '23 will fence on the women's side, while Eli Dershwitz '19, Mitchell Saron '23, Filip Dolegiewicz '23, and incoming first-years Colin Heathcock and Nick Zhang will compete on the men's side.

Dershwitz, Saron, Dolegiewicz, and Heathcock will make up the entirety of the United States' men's saber team, marking the first time in Olympic history that an entire squad will be made up of members from the same college.  The team already made history winning the first ever medal by an American men's sabre team at a World Championships, winning bronze in 2023.  In addition, they have medaled in the first four world cups of the season with only one remaining, another feat never before achieved by an American men's sabre team.

Dershwitz and Guo both return to the Olympics for the third and second times in their fencing careers respectively, while the other six Crimson fencers are heading to the first Olympics.

Zhang is the Crimson's lone epee fencer heading to Paris. At just the age of 17, Zhang will fence for Team Canada, earned the lone spot available at the Pan American Olympic Qualifying Tournament by winning gold.

The past two NCAA Women's Foil National Champions, Guo and Scruggs are both in the top-10 of the international senior women's foil world rankings. Guo is getting ready for her second Olympics after qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, while Scruggs is gearing up for her Olympic debut.  Both have won their first career medals in World Cup competition this season at the senior level, with Guo earning two bronze medals as an individual and Scruggs winning a bronze medal as an individual as well.  Both often fence as the anchor for their respective countries.

Tartakovsky, the 2022 NCAA Women's Saber National Champion, is No. 15 on the international senior women's saber world rankings.  Tartakovsky has also won a bronze medal twice in World Cup competition in her career.

One of the rising stars in men's saber, incoming first year Heathcock will make his Olympic debut at the age of 18. Heathcock is the No. 7 on the senior men's saber world rankings. During the Olympic season Heathcock took home gold at the Padua Senior Men's Saber World Cup and gold at the Grand Prix in Tunis, Tunisia making him the youngest ever men's sabre fencer to win multiple Senior level international competitions in a season.

Harvard class of 2023 alums and All-Americans, Dolegiewicz and Saron will also compete in men's saber in Paris. Dolegiewicz was the 2022 Men's Saber NCAA National Champion and secured an eighth-place finish at the Senior Men's Saber World Cup in Tbilisi, Georgia earlier this season to secure his spot on the Olympic Team. Saron, a 2022 Second Team All-American, and avid Instagram influencer, is No. 24 on the international world rankings.

A 2023 World Champion and 2020 and 2016 Olympian, Dershwitz is primed for another incredible run on the world's biggest stage. A native of Sherborn, Mass., Dershwitz took home gold at last year's World Championships in Milan, Italy. Dershwitz is No. 6 on the International senior men's saber world rankings.

Dershwitz has the further distinction of a rare feat of simultaneously qualifying for his third Olympic games, and coaching Saron and Dolegiewicz over the past 5 years, guiding them to qualification in their own right for these games.

Along with the eight student-athletes, a slew of Harvard coaches and an alum will hold various roles in Paris this summer. Head Coach Daria Schneider will serve in her role as a board member of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, while assistant coach Dagmara Wozniak will serve as Team Captain for Team USA. Assistant coach Jason Pryor will also attend the Olympics as a special guest for USA Fencing. In the coaching ranks, assistant coach Jed Dupree will coach Canada's Women's Foil team, while Brian Kaneshige '15 will serve as the United States' Women's Foil coach.

Fencing will take center stage at the 2024 Paris Olympics between Saturday, July 27 and Sunday, August 4. NBC and Peacock will broadcast all Olympic events live this summer.