Brandeis fencing continued their stellar season as they emerged victorious at the New England Intercollegiate Fencing Conference Championship this past Saturday, March 4. The Judges won a thrilling Championship against runner-up MIT, with the final score being 171-169.
In a standout victory, the women’s fencing team won gold in foil, while the men won gold in the saber competition. The young members of both the men’s and women’s team shined as they helped Brandeis to their first victory in the tournament since 2014.
The women’s team won the three-weapon standings, while the men’s team placed fourth behind Boston College, MIT and Vassar College. There were multiple gold-medal finishes too, as the Judges brought home team gold medals in men’s saber along with women’s foil. Individual men and women foilists also won gold.
On the women’s side, Jessica Gets ’20 and Joanne Carminucci ’19 had exceptional performances. Carminucci defeated opponents from Tufts University and MIT to take the crown for the Judges (winning 15-11 in the final round). Gets was edged out in the semifinals but not before achieving an outstanding record of 11-2 in the team competition.
In the epee event, the women’s team took silver. Liz Feller ’18 and Dakota Levy ’20 earned the third and fifth seeds, respectively. With Levy being eliminated in a tough contest first round, Feller fell in the finals. When the time maximum came in the finals, MIT’s Helen Sakharova was ahead by just one point to edge Feller, 13-12.
Captain Nina Sayles ’17 claimed third in the saber event, while the team placed fourth in the event overall.
For the men, rookie Ian Quinn ’20 knocked off opponents from Boston College (15-10) and Sacred Heart (15-10) in the individual competition to win gold, after starting the competition as the sixth seed. Quinn helped the Judges to a second-place finish as a team with a record of 10-1.
Saberist Kyle Berney ’18 placed third. Fellow saberists Curtis Wilson ’18 and Leon Rotenstein ’20 helped the Judges break a 31-31 tie against Boston College to win the indicator 113-106. Carrying on their stellar seasons, both fencers posted records of 11-1 and earned the fifth and sixth seeds. Rotenstein showed grit and reached the finals, but he fell to MIT’s Tzer Wong, 15-12. Wilson, however, was taken out in the first round, but was helped by his teammate’s strong performances.
Next for the Judges is the NCAA Northeast Regional at Yale on Sunday, March 12. The tournament will determine if any Brandeis fencers will qualify for the NCAA tournament in Indianapolis on Saturday, March 25.
