The fencing team got back at it this weekend, battling regional competition at the New England Women's Intercollegiate Fencing Association's aptly titled season opener: The Big One.
The epee team, which has become Tufts' strongest component over the last couple of years, paced the Jumbos once again with top-eight performances from sophomore Coryn Wolk, who landed fourth place, and junior epee captain Amani Smathers, who took eighth.
"In her first [direct elimination (DE)] bout, she killed the girl that she fenced," classmate Georgia Ranes said of Wolk. "Her second and third DEs were pretty tough ... It was a tough fencer that she lost to, and Coryn put up a good fight."
The meet was likely the first of many successful tournaments for the epeeists this season, with the core of Wolk, Smathers and Ranes already in place. Junior Rebecca Hughes, who has played an important role on the squad for the past two years, is currently abroad but will return next semester. With some fencing experience from high school under her belt, freshman Michaela Paulson will round out the epee group in Hughes' place.
The foils also looked to be in good shape despite failing to crack the top 20. Led by senior captain Christine Lee, who placed 22nd at the tournament, the Jumbo foilists were competitive and won a number of bouts in both the pool and DE rounds.
"Unfortunately, [sophomore Magda Kwieciszewska] and I were up against each other in the first round of DEs," junior Lisa Yanushefski said. "Christine and I made it on to the second round and then we both lost in the second round of DEs. But overall, we did very well, and I think we made a good, strong start to the season."
The foilists and sabreists will also get a boost come next semester with the return of junior foilist Naomi Bryant and junior sabreist Alex Cheetham, both starters for their respective weapons, from abroad. Cheetham's return will be especially welcome on a squad that has a combined total of one year of college fencing experience.
"A lot of the sabre team is new, [and] I was in the exact same experience last year," returning sophomore Caccy Bowlus said. "I can totally understand what the new girls are going through ... The fact that we have a new team and a young team kind of brings us closer together because everyone kind of looks to each other."
Despite their youth, the sabreists have already begun to exceed expectations this year, fencing solidly this weekend. Freshman Sarah Danly, the only other sabreist on the roster with prior fencing experience, went 4-2 in the opening pool and won her first DE bout, and freshman Brianna Smith, a novice, won two bouts in the pool round.
"I'm happy for all of them," Bowlus said. "I think we did really well, and in some respects, better than we might have been expecting ... I'm proud of all the girls. They did really well, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the season."
With a promising roster in place, the team is looking to take additional measures to ensure strong performances this season.
"We are trying to become stricter," said Smathers, who is also a layout editor for the Daily. "In the past, some members have treated the team more like a club, coming to practice when they weren't too busy with [homework], etc. ... This year, the sophomores and juniors want to make a greater commitment, which we believe will improve our team, especially in the long run.
"Basically, the new rules make it more costly to miss practices, and we've increased the number of practices per week," Smathers continued. We're also committing ourselves to going to an outside club once a week where we can fence different styles and better-skilled people."
And with the changes coming from within the team itself, the Jumbo fencers are poised for new levels of success.
"This is purely motivated by the team members," Smathers said. "[Coach Jason Sachs] didn't have anything to do with it, but he's said he's willing to go along with what we decide and that he thinks it will [cause] major, positive improvements."
