W. Fencing pulls out victory

The Penn women's fencing team pulled away from a potential struggle against Princeton, posting six consecutive victories late in the match to win 11-5. The Quakers (8-1, 2-0 Ivy League) were even with the Tigers through 10 of 16 bouts. "We started shaky," captain Anne Gaeta said. "We always get nervous fencing them." With only "must-win" bouts remaining, Penn held together to keep the lead, win the match and maintain its undefeated Ivy record. Senior Rachel Iannacone finished with four wins while Gaeta and sophomore Megumi Sakae both tallied three. Penn coach Dave Micahnik likened the victory to a bridge match where his team was able to call all the tricks at the finish. "We have been spending most of our time preparing for this match," Micahnik said. "Princeton was flustered." Nina Lightdale, the Tiger's strongest fencer, was held to 1-4 on the day. "The people that we lost to weren't their strongest fencers," Gaeta said. "In a way it's bad because we should've beaten them, but it's really good because they didn't overpower us in the big matches." Along with the Quaker domination in the foil division came a 6-3 win from the previously defeated freshmen epee team. "We're all new to the weapon," freshman Elisabeth Cornfield said. "In each progressive meet we are doing better." Although the epee division won't be officially scored until next year, the Quakers do have a chance to compete in an open event at regionals in March. "It's nice to see them coming along," Micahnik said. "There is no substitute for experience."