In an annual mid-week clash, the women’s fencing team defeated Wellesley College 16-11 Wednesday, Jan. 25.
Captain of the team, Nina Sayles ’17, reported that the Judges have remained undefeated in meets against Wellesley since the 2013 season.
Each year, the team takes on Wellesley in a one-on-one meet. The bouts occur in a small room with only two mats, differing from the rest of the season’s meets which are set in universities’ field houses, where multiple squads compete simultaneously. “It’s really easy to cheer on your teammates … There’s a lot more camaraderie and cheering going on,” Sayles said.
Brandeis’s meet against Wellesley is unique in that it is the only meet that falls during a week of classes. The rest of the team’s meets are weekends and last an entire day, allowing the team to focus on and prepare for the meets without distraction. “After coming from a whole day in school not necessarily thinking about the meet, it’s easy to come in less prepared and less excited than weekend meets,” Sayles said.
Four women went undefeated against the Wellesley. Rookie Jessica Gets ’20, led the way with three wins and no losses in the foil event, while Joanne Carminucci ’19 added two wins to the foil event and a second undefeated record for the night.
Gets commented that dual meet and rival atmosphere motivated her in all three of her bouts. “I was more determined to win all of my three matches because it was a dual meet,” Gets said.
In the second event of the night, the saber squad fell to Wellesley 3-6. Despite the squad loss, Sayles earned all three wins for the event, and became the third Brandeis fencer to go undefeated for the night. Throughout Sayles’ career at Brandeis, she has never once lost a regular season bout to a Wellesley opponent. Her undefeated night solidified the streak.
Epeeists regained the momentum for Brandeis and clinched the overall victory with a 6-3 record. Liz Feller ’18 was the last fencer of the night to win all of her bouts, earning three wins for the Judges.
The Judges are now 10-10 in their overall record for the season, and the team looks to take on some of their biggest rivals, Boston College and Vassar, on Saturday, Jan. 28, “both of whom we beat by pretty close scores last year, so it’d be pretty great to pull out those wins again,” Sayles said of the upcoming Eric Sollee Invitational at MIT against these key teams.
Saturday’s meets will be the team’s second and final league meet. The team looks to defeat league opponents and end the weekend with a winning record. “Our goals are always to beat as many league opponents as possible,” she said.
The team’s season will finish in the NCAA Northeast Regional in Hartford, CT, at Yale, and the NCAA Championships in Indianapolis, both of which occur in late March. Until then, the team is scheduled to compete in Invitationals and tournaments at Brown, MIT, Boston College and the University of Vermont.
