The Tufts Women Fencing team wanted to make a fine showing in its last team meet of the year. After the meet concluded, the Jumbos realized they had done more than that, taking home second place overall at the NIWFA tournament at Stevens Tech. Additionally Tufts was named Div. III fencing champions, while also winning the team and individual sabre awards.
Having put together a strong second place showing at the New England Championships the weekend before, the team once again rose to the occasion, topping one team after the next at the NIWFA tournament. The only team they failed to defeat was Temple University, a Div. I program which gives out fencing scholarships.
Tufts, on the whole, put together an extremely solid performance, but there were some fencers in particular that put on a show. Highlighting the weekend was senior Kasara Williams, a sabrist, who fought against the odds to take first place in the tournament. Among the foes she faced was last year's fourth place national finisher. Despite being the clear underdog going into that match, Williams maintained her confidence and fenced the match of her life in the upset.
"It was one of those beautiful moments that all athletes who work hard, dream about," coach Jason Sachs said.
Although Williams took the spotlight with her incredible performance, she deferred much of the team's success to other fencers like freshman Katherine Zouein.
"She is our secret weapon, none of the teams know that she is nationally ranked in the US Fencing Association so she always comes as a surprise to them," Williams said. "We are very happy to have her on the team."
Zouein finished the sabre competition in third place, combining with Williams and senior Mika Mutoh, who finished eighth, to place first place overall in the sabre division.
In the two other events, Tufts also had success. Freshman Sasha Brodski finished third in the individual epee, while junior teammate Talia Alexander finished 15th. Sophomore Zinger Yang showed the strongest performance in the foil for the Jumbos with a sixth place finish overall.
Temple University posed the most problems for Tufts during the tournament, as it wrapped up two first place and one second place finish. Its standing as a Div. I school, however, allows it to more easily recruit strong fencers.
"Temple is a very strong team packed with a great first string and a very good second string," senior Christina Zahara said. "It was good to fence them."
For many, this tournament represented the final meet of the season. Coming off of last year's rebuilding season, Tufts' season was not expected to be anything special. But the team came out swinging and was able to finish with an 8-3 record in league along with consecutive second place finishes in postseason tournaments. While much of the success and progress of the team is credited to the fencers, the team knows that Sachs has played a vital role throughout the season.
"His connections within the local fencing scene gives us access to outside fencing clubs, where we get the chance to fence very skilled fencers," senior Frances Harper said. "His relationships with fellow fencers give us an invaluable volunteer assistant coaching staff."
"His greatest asset is his ability to coach people through their bouts," Williams said. "He is always there to remind you to work hard for every touch and yells tips between actions. He has definitely helped me stay focused during a bout and has been instrumental in helping me win."
While most of the team's season is now over, nine fencers from Tufts are gearing up for the upcoming regional tournament at New York University this Sunday. Winners from that tournament move on to nationals later in the spring.
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