By Pete LaFleur (editor@collegefencing360.com)
The Princeton men picked up a key victory over in-state rival and #7 Penn (18-9), adding a 17-10 victory over Brown and a thrilling 14-13 comeback vs. Yale. The Tigers men will face #6 Harvard (1-1) and #8 Columbia (0-2) next week, with Princeton needing only a win over the Crimson to clinch the Ivy League title (Penn is 1-2, Yale 2-2 and Brown 1-1).
The Princeton women (18-8 win vs. #7 Penn; 17-10 vs. Yale and Brown) are tied with #5 Columbia atop the women's standings, with their meeting next weekend likely to decide the title. The Penn women (3-1) still could surge to the title next weekend, with their own key matchup versus Columbia still to be contested. Harvard (2-1) also remains in the running for the Ivy League women's title – as the Crimson could make a move next weekend in their matches vs. Princeton and Columbia.
Freshman women's foilist Brianna Martin led all Princeton fencers with an 8-0 record, while junior men's epeeist Graham Wicas (3rd at '08 NCAAs; 2nd in '09) went 7-1 along with a forfeited victory (due to a black-card violation by Penn's Jacob Wischnia). Three different Princeton weapon units – men's epee, women's epee and women's foil – turned in dominating 22-5 records, with other top fencers from those weapons including: sophomore men's epeeist Mike Elfassy (5-2), freshman men's epeeist Jonathan Yergler (5-1), sophomore women's foilist Lucile Jarry (6-1) and the talented young women's epee trio comprised of sophomore All-American Susannah Scanlan (7-2) along with freshmen Phoebe Caldwell (8-1) and Hannah Safford (7-2).
The Columbia women (21-6 vs. Cornell and Yale; 23-4 vs. Brown) were paced by the event's two most dominant weapon groups (men or women) – as the Lions women's sabreists went 24-3 and the epeeists 23-4. Columbia's top two women's foilists, senior three-time All-American Nicole Ross (8-1) and freshman D'Meca Homer (7-2), combined to go 15-3 while three of their teammates were unbeaten: the two-time All-America sabre duo of junior Jackie Jacobson (7-0) and senior Daria Schneider (6-0), and sophomore All-America epeeist Neely Branfield-Harvey (9-0). Freshman epeeist Lydia Kopecky (8-1) and sophomore sabreist Sammy Roberts (6-1) each lost only one bout spanning the three matches.
The Penn women will be in contention when action moves to their home facility Hutchinson Gym next week – thanks to a balanced performance from the Quaker weapon units (20 wins in foil and sabre, 18 in epee). Sophomore All-American Domica Franciszkowicz won 10 of her 12 sabre bouts, while three other Penn women – sophomore foilist Laura Paragano, freshman epeeist Amrit Bhinder and junior All-America sabreist Danielle Kamis – chipped in with 8-4 records.
Note – Two All-America fencers did not compete in today's Ivy League event, as Columbia senior men's foilist Kurt Getz was returning from a World Cup event in Venice, Italy, while Penn senior men's sabreist Andrew Bielen was sidelined due to injury.
Ivy League 2010 Round-Robin Results (part-I)
(Ithaca, N.Y.; Cornell's Newman Arena ... Sunday, Feb. 21, 2010)
team point and weapon totals courtesy of CollegeFencing360.com
MEN'S RESULTS
#4 Princeton (3-0 ... 49-32 ... MF 11-16 ... ME 22-5 ... MS 16-11)
#4 Princeton def. #7 Penn, 18-9 (MF 3-6 ... ME 8-1 ... MS 7-2)
#4 Princeton def. Yale, 14-13 (MF 5-4 ... ME 7-2 ... MS 2-7)
#4 Princeton def. Brown, 17-10 (MF 3-6 ... ME 7-2 ... MS 7-2)
#6 Harvard (1-1 ... 28-26 ... MF 5-13 ... ME 14-4 ... MS 9-9)
#7 Penn def. #6 Harvard, 15-12 (MF 8-1 ... ME 2-7 ... MS 5-4)
#6 Harvard def. Yale, 16-11 (MF 4-5 ... ME 7-2 ... MS 5-4)
#7 Pennsylvania (1-2 ... 34-47 ... MF 17-10 ... ME 6-21 ... MS 11-16)
Yale def. #7 Penn, 17-10 (MF 6-3 ... ME 6-3 ... MS 5-4)
#8 Columbia (0-2 ... 19-35 ... MF 0-18 ... ME 10-8 ... MS 9-9)
Yale def. #8 Columbia, 18-9 (MF 9-0 ... ME 5-4 ... MS 4-5)
Brown def. #8 Columbia, 17-10 (MF 9-0 ... ME 3-6 ... MS 5-4)
Yale (2-2 ... 59-49 ... MF 24-12 ... ME 15-21 ... MS 20-16)
Brown (1-1 ... 27-27 ... MF 15-3 ... ME 5-13 ... MS 7-11)
WOMEN'S RESULTS
#4 Princeton (3-0 ... 57-24 ... WF 22-5 ... WE 22-5 ... WS 13-14)
#4 Princeton def. Penn, 19-8 (WF 7-2 ... WE 7-2 ... WS 5-4)
#4 Princeton def. Yale, 17-10 (WF 8-1 ... WE 6-3 ... WS 3-6)
#4 Princeton def. Brown, 21-6 (WF 7-2 ... WE 9-0 ... WS 5-4)
#5 Columbia (3-0 ... 65-16 ... WF 18-9 ... WE 23-4 ... WS 24-3)
#5 Columbia def. Yale, 21-6 (WF 5-4 ... WE 8-1 ... WS 8-1)
#5 Columbia def. Cornell, 21-6 (WF 7-2 ... WE 7-2 ... WS 7-2)
#5 Columbia def. Brown, 23-4 (WF 6-3 ... WE 8-1 ... WS 9-0)
#9 Harvard (2-1 ... 45-36 ... WF 15-12 ... WE 13-14 ... WS 17-10)
#10 Penn def. #9 Harvard, 17-10 (WF 7-2 ... WE 6-3 ... WS 4-5)
#9 Harvard def. Yale, 17-10 (WF 8-1 ... WE 5-4 ... WS 4-5)
#9 Harvard def. Cornell, 18-9 (WF 5-4 ... WE 5-4 ... WS 8-1)
#10 Pennsylvania (3-1 ... 58-50 ... WF 20-16 ... WE 18-18 ... WS 20-16)
#10 Penn def. Yale, 16-11 (WF 6-3 ... WE 5-4 ... WS 5-4)
#10 Penn def. Cornell, 17-10 (WF 5-4 ... WE 5-4 ... WS 7-2)
Cornell (1-3 ... 40-68 ... WF 16-20 ... WE 15-21 ... WS 9-27)
Cornell def. Brown, 15-12 (WF 6-3 ... WE 5-4 ... WS 4-5)
Brown (0-3 ... 22-59 ... WF 8-19 ... WE 5-22 ... WS 9-18)
Yale (0-4 ... 37-71 ... WF 9-27 ... WE 12-24 ... WS 16-20)