The only way to get better is by playing tough competition.
The fencing team did just that over the weekend, facing-off against four Div. I opponents and one skilled Div. III squad. Although they lost to four schools - MIT, Boston College, Penn State and Princeton - the Jumbos emerged victorious over the Brandeis Owls, defeating them 14-13 in an invitational meet held at MIT on Sunday.
Sophomore foil captain Christine Lee led the Jumbos, going 11-7. Freshmen epee fencers Rachel Amani Smathers and Rebecca Hughes went 9-9 and 7-11, respectively, and freshman sabre Alex Cheetham also went 7-11 against stiff competition, including multiple Div. I schools.
"Cheetham had a great day Sunday," senior sabre captain Louisa Zouein said. "She was fencing really well and taking her signature parries. She did a great job against a lot of good fencers."
Despite dropping a majority of the matches, the team performed well, considering it was facing off against some of the top teams in the country.
"Though we got beat by most schools, it was a good day and important for NCAA championships qualifying paths for individuals," coach Jason Sachs said in an e-mail to the Daily. "Penn State will probably win the NCAA Championships. They're a great team, and we were happy to get two wins."
"It's great to fence people who know what they're doing," Zouein added. "I think it's a great experience, especially for Cheetham and the B- and C-squads. They haven't seen a lot of good fencing, and they don't really know what that's like. It's good to show them that they have to work hard and what will happen if they do."
Having lost to the Owls 15-12 on Nov. 19, the team used their previous experience to come out on top this time around.
"Even though you're fencing the same schools and the same people, you learn something new every time," Lee said. "For me personally, there's a girl from MIT that beat me in a previous tournament, and Sunday I was able to beat her. It's true with everyone that you kind of just learn something new from every bout and use it for the next time."
The Jumbos also saw competition on Saturday, facing NYU in a non-conference relay held in Jackson Gym, losing narrowly by a score of 2-1.
"NYU is a pretty good school," Lee said. "[The foils] fenced pretty well against them, but the last bout, we were down 38 and they had 40 so we had to make it to 45. I got the final up to 45-43. I was happy with the way I fenced, but I definitely wish I could do that bout over again. I feel like I could have beaten her."
"In the first round [the sabres] beat them, and we fenced really well," Zouein added. "In the second round, we kind of dropped the ball a bit. I don't think we were really focused, and so they ended up beating us."
Despite the weekend's losses, the Jumbo fencers remain confident in their abilities as they look to build on their technical skills in preparation for Saturday's conference meet, when they will take on Boston College, Wellesley, UMass, Dartmouth, and Smith.
"At the practices, our coach has been doing a lot more drills and footwork," Lee said. "Technique is definitely improving because of all the drills."
"I think that this meet kind of showed people the benefit of good tactical fencing and how to do that," Zouein added. "I'm hoping to see that the team has settled into their fencing so that there's confidence that people have good footwork and good tactics."
