After a strong performance at Nov. 3's season-opening meet known as "The Big One," the fencing team followed up with a 2-4 showing at Boston University on Nov. 17. The Jumbos scored wins over club teams from UMass and the University of New Hampshire but fell to Wellesley, Brown, Brandeis and MIT by scores of 16-11, 20-7, 18-9 and 20-7 respectively.
Despite the losing record, the meet was a step in the right direction for a young squad that began official practices less than a month ago. Both wins were commanding, with the Jumbos defeating UMass 20-7 and UNH 19-8 with subs in the lineup.
"What we're seeing is that the strong teams are really strong, and the weak teams are really weak," coach Jason Sachs said. "We're somewhere in between. But we didn't start until [Nov. 1], so we've got some catching up to do ... even if we lose to the same teams a couple months from now, we'll be much more competitive because we'll have practiced."
While in the past the epees have been Tufts' weakest group, they have emerged this season to lead the team. Sachs rotated the group, which includes sophomore captains Amani Smathers and Becca Hughes and freshmen Coryn Wolk and Georgia Ranes. The group went 3-3 on the day, defeating the epee squads from Wellesley, UMass, and UNH.
"The whole epee team is doing really well," Sachs said. "I rotated them through, so they all got to fence. They're a pretty strong team. They might have lost one or two, but if they did, it was 4-5. They're definitely going to be competitive in varsity, no matter who we fence."
The foils came through with the last two victories for the Jumbos, also beating out UMass and UNH. The group was led by junior captain Christine Lee, who won all of her bouts against Brandeis. Freshman Nadia Nibbs also won a bout against the Judges, but Tufts was edged by a 5-4 margin.
Sophomore sabre captain Alex Cheetham also saw success against the club teams, but the young Tufts sabre squad was unable to defeat any of its opponents. Senior Lauren Kari returned to the team to assist the squad, winning a few bouts despite sustaining an injury at the meet.
"She was limping around all day, but she did all right," Sachs said. "She was a true warrior."
The Jumbos will now look ahead to the coming weekend, when they will face four other varsity teams in Brandeis, Yale, Cornell, and Boston College.
