In a weekend filled with intense competition of some of the nation’s best, Penn fencing found itself victorious at the Elite Invitational, hosted by Ohio State from Nov. 8-9. The competition included Harvard, Princeton, the University of Notre Dame, Northwestern, Ohio State, Duke, Penn State, and the University of North Carolina.
On the first day of the invitational, the Quakers collectively gathered a total of five wins across Saturday’s matchups.
The men’s team won three battles against Air Force (14-13), Wayne State (20-7), and Cleveland State (26-1), making it an impressive sweep in all three weapons of foil, epee, and saber. Sophomore epeeist Nicholas Jin attributes the team's all-around success at the invitational to their changed preparation and efforts.
“We've made an effort to get more actual bouting in, which has definitely been helpful in getting everyone back to fencing shape as the seasons started,” Jin wrote in a statement to the Daily Pennsylvanian. “Intensity within practice itself has also escalated … getting up early for lift in the mornings twice a week definitely also helped not only in terms of strength and conditioning but with how we were semi-accustomed to waking up early [for the invitational that had early morning games].”
The first day of match-ups was relatively successful for the Quakers, with the women’s team securing two victories over Air Force (24-3) and Cleveland State (22-5). The second day of the invitational on Nov.9 was a resounding victory for the men’s team. The team defeated Duke, North Carolina, and Notre Dame, culminating in a 6-2 overall performance for the men’s team over the weekend.
"I think that overall the men did a pretty solid job … I think that we definitely stepped up a lot from last year’s fencing, and to that I would definitely credit our two new freshmen, [epeeists] Simon Lioznyansky and Alex Moses, who have both looked very comfortable with whatever’s been thrown at them, so far,” Jin wrote.
Jin attributes this newfound intensity at practices and the rejuvenation of the team's mindset to the new freshmen, which is helping the team overall achieve wins. Jin also mentioned that there are still points of concern, even when consistently maintaining this level of intensity. One point of weakness for the men’s team, even throughout their successful performances, was when matches were tied.
“We definitely have to continue everything that we’ve been doing, on top of staying safe, avoiding injuries and untimely sicknesses, while also trying to incorporate more situational bouting within practices,” Jin wrote.
The women’s team also secured a victory, defeating North Carolina in their line matchups on Sunday and ended the weekend with an overall 3-5 performance. Freshman foilist Kimberly Jang describes the weekend as exhilarating both for herself and for the team.
“It was our first big meet of the season,” Jang wrote. “There was definitely a lot more adrenaline and energy in each bout. Even if I wasn't on the strip fencing, we were all hyped up, screaming and cheering on top of our lungs for our teammates.”
For Jang, the invitational also emphasized a lot of room for growth. She recognizes that one of the biggest takeaways from these games was the team’s weaknesses, which she is glad to have found early.
“I think it's better that we find our weaknesses early, so that we can focus on that and improve for our January meet. It's just the start for us to become stronger as a team,” she wrote.
Junior epee Grace Hu shared a similar sentiment, wanting to keep the team's electric energy and strong spirit heading into the season.
“I’m proud of the team's performance this weekend … Beyond the actual results or performance, it was a very bonding experience for the team, and everyone was there to support each other. It revealed to us some areas we want to focus on and improve on, but also showed us that many victories were very much in reach,” Hu wrote in a statement to the Daily Pennsylvanian.
For both the women’s and men’s teams, this invitational was a way to affirm their national standing and understand their potential for this year.
“As a whole, it really shows that we’re still at the top of the game … I think the success that we saw from this weekend also reflects a lot about how our culture on the team is ultimately better than ever– and it’s super rewarding to see how the time that we’ve spent with all our teammates really translates to winning on the strip, as well,” Jin wrote.
For their next competition, the Quakers will be playing in Philadelphia, where they will host the Dave Micahnik Penn Invitational on Saturday, January 17th, at the Tse center.
