POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (November 15, 2009) – The Vassar men's fencing team welcomed five teams to Walker Field House for its annual Invitational on Sunday, and when the afternoon was over, all five competitors went home on the losing end of a perfect day for the Brewers.

In a 5-0 start to the dual season, there were many outstanding performances, in particular: Junior # Andrew Fischl# (9-0 in the sabre), senior Jonathan Hirokawa (6-0 in the sabre), sophomore Nick Johnson (9-1 in the epee), sophomore Brian Rouse (9-2 in the epee), freshman Tavish Pegram (9-1 in the foil) and senior Jesse Bisgnano (8-2 in the foil).

Round 1: Vassar 24 – Yeshiva 3
Due to scheduling conflicts the Brewers did not fence against traditional opponent Yeshiva last season. All three Vassar squads posted identical 8-1 records. Seniors Eric Lynch, Jared Berenholz, and Jonathan Hirokawa all went 2-0 to start their final seasons on the team. Junior Mike D'Urso and sophomore Brian Rouse also went 2-0.

Round 2: Vassar 19 – Hunter 8
Hunter was another New York City team that the Brewers did not compete against last season, and according to head coach Bruce Gillman have improved steadily over the past two years, especially in the foil. Despite 2-0 performances by Pegram and Bisignano, Hunter took the foil competition 5-4. Epee and Sabre adequately made up for the foil loss by going 7-2 and 8-2-1 respectively behind strong fencing by junior Dennis D'Urso, Hirokawa and Johnson and Rouse.

Round 3: BYE

Round 4: Vassar 15 – Haverford 12
Gillman knew this match would be close. Haverford boasts a strong foil squad and they had just rolled over Sacred Heart in the previous round. Pegram and Bisignano both stood their ground and managed to both go 2-1. Bisignano's third bout was reminiscent of his deciding victory against Brown two years ago. The bout went to 4-4 in overtime and Bisignano's aggressive style and desire helped him overcome all obstacles in a winning performance. The Haverford match featured outstanding epee and sabre fencing as well. Johnson and Fischl both went 3-0 and senior captain John Rothman and Rouse both went 2-1.

Round 5: Vassar 17 - Drew 10
Last year Drew visited Vassar and defeated the Brewers 14-13, so the 17-10 victory was satisfying for the Brewers. Epee and sabre were close, with the Drew epee winning 5-4, but Vassar sabre scored its own 5-4 win behind a 3-0 performance by Fischl. The real story was in foil where Pegram and Bisignano were again undefeated and Mike D'Urso went 2-1.

Round 6: Vassar 14 – West Point 13
Two years ago, the Brewers lost to Army at West Point. This year, Vassar squeezed out a win despite some strong foil and epee squads from Army. Sabre sealed the victory for Vassar by posting a 7-2 mark with Hirokawa again going 2-0.

The next match for the Brewers will be at home on November 21 against Bard, Marist, SUNY New Paltz, Albany, and RPI.






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