W. Fencers win twice, clinch at least share of Ivy title

They were shut out in three bouts, one starter sustained an injury to her neck, the captains had to help each other deal with their frustrations, and their coach looked like Rolaids would be his only source of relief during the match. Yet in this atypical match, the Penn women's fencing team somehow came out on top, beating Harvard to clinch at least a tie for the Ivy League championship. Then two hours later, despite battling exhaustion and a lack of enthusiasm, the Quakers (10-0, 4-0 Ivy League) gave cross-town rival Temple a whipping. On paper, it appeared Penn would handily defeat Harvard. The Crimson had freshmen and sophomores comprising their entire team, and they did not have an epee squad at all last year. The epee squad helped carry Penn, as Harvard's inexperience in that category hurt it tremendously. The Quakers won the epee 10-6. Epee and foil combined to give Penn a 15-14 lead with three bouts to go. The Quakers needed to win 17 bouts to come out the victor because a 16-16 tie would equal a loss since Harvard had more touches in three shutouts. It came down to co-captain Megumi Sakae versus Jill Katz of Harvard. On the sidelines, as the crucial bout began, sophomore Liz Cornfield said, "Megumi needs to be mentally in it to win. It always comes down to Megumi, and she always comes through." Sure enough, Sakae coasted to a 5-1 win, which immediately developed into a team hug and celebration. "I'm satisfied," Sakae said. "In the past I've had trouble concentrating, but after the first touches, I knew I'd win." Two hours later, the Quakers were back in action against Temple. While the Owls were pumped up for the match the entire way, Penn lacked enthusiasm and energy. After securing the Ivy title, the Quakers were drained of all excitement. The Owls, however, clapped, cheered and drummed their way through the match. Again, the Quakers somehow managed to win. This time it was by a 24-8 margin, as Penn blew out Temple in unprecedented fashion. In this match, both foil and epee dominated, this time with leading performances by Emmy Cho and Olivia Leon, who both went 4-0. "The epee squad has been the wild card for the season," Micahnik said.