The Brandeis fencing teams finished their 2018 season by hosting the NCAA Regional Tournament in Gosman Athletic Center last weekend. Brandeis Athletics hosted teams from Harvard, MIT, St. Joseph’s University, Vassar, New York University, Columbia, Yale, Cornell and Wellesley.
Joanne Carminucci ’19 came out as the top performer for the Judges, taking eighth place, enough to stir a discussion of an NCAA nationals berth. Entering as the 17th seed in the women’s foil tournament, Carminucci slid into the eighth seed after the first two rounds of pooled play. Battling for a spot in the finals with 35 other fencers, the Brandeis foiler defeated two Harvard opponents in her path to the final round. She posted a 5-6 record in the finals, landing her the eighth place spot for women’s foil.
Ultimately, this solid finish was not enough to secure her a place in the NCAA national tournament. Determinations weigh the regular season alongside NCAA Regional berth. Carminucci’s strong Regionals performance was offset by the rest of the 2018 season.
Columbia took home the win in the foil weapon, taking four out of the top eight spots in the event. Columbia has been dominant in the NCAA Division 1 fencing world in recent years. The team has earned the NCAA national championship title in 2015 and 2016.
Liz Feller ’18 also posted a respectable performance in the epee weapon. In her final tournament as a Brandeis fencer, Feller reached the second round alongside her teammates Dakota Levy ’20 and Maddy Vibert ’21. The senior went 2-4 in the second round to place her in the 23rd spot for the weapon.
For the men, Leon Rotenstein ’20 earned the only spot in the final round for the Brandeis Judges in the saber event. The sophomore went 2-3 in the opening round of the saber competition, earning the final open spot in the semifinal round. Rosenstein dialed in during semifinal play and dominated his pod, going 5-0 to put him into the final round. He split the final round 3-3 to earn 11th place.
Kyle Berney ’18 also reached the semifinal round of the saber weapon. The senior couldn’t capitalize, however, and landed in 20th place.
Elishua Litle ’18 reached the final round of the foil event in his last Brandeis fencing tournament, finishing 10th in the competition. Litle entered the semifinal round in the fifth seed after going 5-1 in the opening round. He battled out four out of six wins in the round to secure the seventh seed spot in the finals of the weapon. Earning three wins in the finals, the senior foiler’s results earned him the 10th place spot.
Litle was joined by teammates Ian Quin ’20 and Jared Sugarman ’21 in the semifinal round, each of whom could not rack in enough wins in to earn a place in the finals of the foil tournament.
As the season closes, the men’s team will lose seven fencers. With strong fencers in the younger classes, however, the team stands to look very similar in competition in the next season. The women’s team, holding a much smaller roster, stand to lose only two graduating fencers next season, including Laura Broffman ’18 and one of their strongest epee performers, Feller.
