(note – this blog recap has been re-posted; original post from Nov. 29)
Harvard served as host to a rare fall dual meet on Sunday, with the seven-team field headlined by defending NCAA champion, the homestanding Crimson and Princeton (plus UNC, NYU, Vassar and Sacred Heart. The Harvard women (6-0) and Penn State men (5-0) both turned in undefeated records, while the Princeton men (5-1) and PSU women (4-1) both had only one loss (the Harvard men and Princeton women both went 4-2).
The Harvard women – fronted by a pair of sophomores who both were the 2009 NCAA runner-up in their respective weapons (epeeist Noam Mills and sabreist Caroline Vloka) – had the most noteworthy result of the day, edging Penn State's veteran squad by one point (14-13). All three weapons ended in 5-4 scores, with the Crimson women claiming the narrow margin in epee and sabre while PSU took the foil.
Harvard's one-point victory over PSU in women's epee was boosted by a key win in the second bout, as Mills posted a 5-1 win over fellow Israel native Anastasia Ferdman (a senior who beat Mills in the '09 title bout and in the semifinals of last week's Penn State Open). Mills won all three of her bouts vs. Penn State (also 5-3 vs. seniors Keri Byertsand Maria Jao Reis). The Tigers also picked up a pair of key 5-4 wins, as Felicia Sundefeated Reis while fellow freshman Natalie Eldeib edged Byerts.
Vloka also turned in a sweep of her three bouts vs. Penn State, winning 5-4 vs. sophomore All-American Monica Aksamit and freshman Jessica Russo, with a 5-1 victory over sophomore Olivia Benedek. The Crimson sabreists won all three of their bouts vs. Benedek, with freshman Elena Helgiu winning in the opening bout (5-2) while sophomoreHayley Levitt added what would prove to be a key one-point victory (5-4).
The Penn State won the first four foil bouts vs. Harvard, which then on four of the final bouts to pick up some needed points in the team standings. Crimson sophomore Shelby Macleod (17th at the '09 NCAAs) had two of the wins, outlasting Lauren Bauch (2-1) and freshman Danielle Little (4-3) in a pair of defensive battles. PSU senior and two-time NCAA champion Doris Willette (a member of the '08 U.S. Olympic team), including a 2-2 bout vs. Maclead when Willette had the tiebreaker "priority" (she also beat Arielle Pensler, 5-1, and another Crimson senior, Artemisha Goldfeder in a 4-0 bout).
The Harvard women won 119 of their 162 bouts on Sunday (74%), in a truly-balanced display with 40 wins in epee and sabre, plus 39 in foil. The team's other wins included 16-11 vs. Princeton, 22-5 vs. North Carolina and Sacred Heart, 24-3 vs. NYU and 21-6 against Vassar.
The Penn State men registered the other undefeated record, going 5-0 vs. the above teams (aside from UNC, which they did not fence). Both of PSU's matchups against the Ivy League teams were close, including 15-12 vs. Harvard and 14-13 against Princeton.
Other noteworthy results included the Princeton men defeating their league foe Harvard (15-12), while the Sacred Heart women registered a pair of 16-11 victories vs. UNC and Vassar.
The CS360 blog will feature more specific details from this event later – but team records and scores of all 40 matches are include below.
HARVARD INVITATIONAL (Sunday; Nov. 29. 2009)
Penn State – men 5-0, women 4-1
Harvard – men 4-2, women 6-0
Princeton – men 5-1, women 4-2
North Carolina – men 2-3, women 1-4
NYU – men 2-3, women 2-3
Vassar – men 1-4, women 0-5
Sacred Heart – men 0-5, women 2-3
MEN'S RESULTS
Penn State def. Harvard, 15-12 (9-0 foil ... 2-7 epee ... 4-5 sabre)
Penn State def. Princeton, 14-13 (5-4 foil ... 3-6 epee ... 6-3 sabre)
Penn State def.. NYU, 24-3 (8-1 foil ... 9-0 epee ... 7-2 sabre)
Penn State def. Vassar, 22-5 (9-0 foil ... 7-2 epee ... 6-3 sabre)
Penn State def. Sacred Heart, 21-6 (8-1 foil ... 6-3 epee ... 7-2 sabre)
Princeton def. Harvard, 15-12 (6-3 foil ... 4-5 epee ... 5-4 sabre)
Harvard def. North Carolina, 17-10 (4-5 foil ... 4-5 epee ... 9-0 sabre)
Harvard def. NYU, 17-10 (6-3 foil ... 6-3 epee ... 5-4 sabre)
Harvard def. Vassar, 20-7 (5-4 foil ... 7-2 epee ... 8-1 sabre)
Harvard def. Sacred Heart, 16-11 (2-7 foil ... 7-2 epee ... 7-2 sabre)
Princeton def. North Carolina, 18-9 (9-0 foil ... 2-7 epee ... 7-2 sabre)
Princeton def. NYU, 19-8 (9-0 foil ... 5-4 epee ... 5-4 sabre)
Princeton def. Vassar, 20-7 (9-0 foil ... 7-2 epee ... 4-5 sabre)
Princeton def. Sacred Heart, 20-7 (8-1 foil ... 6-3 epee ... 6-3 sabre)
North Carolina def. NYU, 15-12 (6-3 foil ... 6-3 epee ... 3-6 sabre)
North Carolina def. Vassar, 16-11 (6-3 foil ... 5-4 epee ... 5-4 sabre)
North Carolina def. Sacred Heart, 15-12 (4-5 foil ... 6-3 epee ... 5-4 sabre)
NYU def. Vassar, 19-8 (7-2 foil ... 7-2 epee ... 5-4 sabre)
NYU def. Sacred Heart, 15-12 (3-6 foil ... 4-5 epee ... 8-1 sabre)
Vassar def. Sacred Heart, 14-13 (5-4 foil ... 4-5 epee ... 5-4 sabre)
WOMEN'S RESULTS
Harvard def. Penn State, 14-13 (4-5 foil ... 5-4 epee ... 5-4 sabre)
Penn State def. Princeton, 16-11 (3-6 foil ... 7-2 epee ... 6-3 sabre)
Penn State def. NYU, 25-2 (8-1 foil ... 9-0 epee ... 8-1 sabre)
Penn State def, Vassar, 23-4 (6-3 foil ... 8-1 epee ... 9-0 sabre)
Penn State def. Sacred Heart, 21-6 (8-1 foil ... 9-0 epee ... 4-5 sabre)
Harvard def. Princeton, 16-11 (4-5 foil ... 8-1 epee ... 4-5 sabre)
Harvard def. North Carolina, 22-5 (7-2 foil ... 8-1 epee ... 7-2 sabre)
Harvard def. NYU, 24-3 (7-2 foil ... 8-1 epee ... 9-0 sabre)
Harvard def. Vassar, 21-6 (8-1 foil ... 4-5 epee ... 9-0 sabre)
Harvard def. Sacred Heart, 22-5 (9-0 foil ... 7-2 epee ... 6-3 sabre)
Princeton def. North Carolina, 18-9 (6-3 foil ... 6-3 epee ... 6-3 sabre)
Princeton def. NYU, 24-3 (7-2 foil ... 8-1 epee ... 9-0 sabre)
Princeton def. Vassar 26-1 (9-0 foil ... 8-1 epee ... 9-0 sabre)
Princeton def. Sacred Heart, 20-7 (8-1 foil ... 5-4 epee ... 7-2 sabre)
North Carolina def. NYU, 15-12 (6-3 foil ... 4-5 epee ... 5-4 sabre)
North Carolina def. Vassar, 18-9 (7-2 foil ... 4-5 epee ... 7-2 sabre)
Sacred Heart def. North Carolina, 16-11 (3-6 foil ... 6-3 epee ... 7-2 sabre)
NYU def. Vassar, 18-9 (7-2 foil ... 4-5 epee ... 7-2 sabre)
NYU def. Sacred Heart, 17-10 (8-1 foil ... 7-2 epee ... 2-7 sabre)
Sacred Heart def. Vassar, 16-11 (4-5 foil ... 3-6 epee ... 9-0 sabre)