POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (November 7, 2014) – The Vassar College men's and women's fencing team will take part in the Vassar Invitational on Sunday, November 8.  The event will begin at 10 a.m. in Walker Field House.

Game Details
Event: Vassar Invitational
Site: Poughkeepsie, NY
Facility:  Walker Field House
Date: November 9, 2014
Time:  10:00 a.m.
Game Coverage: (Live Video)

A Look at the Competition
The Vassar men will start the day against Yeshiva University, a squad they breezed by 25-2 on the men's side and 24-3 on the women's side in last year's Invitational. The Maccabees are coming off a rough season, with their men's team finishing 3-16 and their women's team posting a 5-16 mark in last year's campaign.

The Brewers will then face off against Hunter College. Coming of a 5-22 season, the Hawk's women's team will be led by the "sabre sisters" Joanna and Barbara Syska.  The men's team looks to rebound from a 2-22 season, as they return last year's team MVP Anthony Musto (epee).

Vassar then hosts Stevens Institute of Technology, after losing in close matches on both the men's and women's sides in last year's tournament.  Both teams are coming off successful seasons.  The men's team (26-9) is led by Logan Koester (epee) who finished 13^th in MACFA Regionals last season.  The women's team (22-7) will try to repeat last season's success after graduating EWFC Woman of the Year Briana Nieradka.

Next up for the Brewers is Haverford College, whom they defeated 16-11 on the men's side, but lost 18-9 on the women's side in last year's contest.  The men's team is coming off back-to-back, third-place finishes in the MACFA Championships with senior captain Max Findley (foil) leading the way.  The women's team has notched top-three finishes in the EWFC and NIWFA Championships the last two years.  They look to continue their success behind captain Juliana Peterson (epee) who is coming off the NIWFA "B" Individual title last season.

Both teams will face off against Army, as the men look to avenge their 14-13 loss in last year's event.

Sacred Heart University enters the tournament after taking down both Brewer teams in last year's matches.  The Pioneers are coming off an 11^th place finish at the NCAA Fencing Championships.  They are off to a hot start this year with Andrew Holmes (foil) and Julia Greene (sabre) earning individual championships in their respective events at the season-opening Big One Tournament.

The Brewer's women's team will play three additional matches against Queens College, Cornell University, and Fairleigh Dickinson University.  In last year's contests, they took down Queens College 25-2, while falling to Cornell and Fairleigh Dickinson 2-25 and 13-14, respectively.

The men's team will challenge Lafayette College, who they defeated in last year's contest 19-8.  The Leopards bring in Helen Davis as their new head coach this year as they try to rebound from a 3-9 campaign last year.

Standout Freshman
Freshmen Jonathan Alperstein (epee) had a breakout day last Sunday in the season-opening Big One Tournament.  Alperstein soared in the opening round, posting a 5-0 record and allowing his opponent to score only eight times in the five matches.  He then advanced through the bracket to the final with five more wins.  He ended the day by taking down Kevin Almerini of Sacred Heart to earn the men's epee championship.

Youth to Spare
On top of Alperstein's success, the rest of Vassar's magnificent freshman class showed what they were capable of.  George Whiteside finished fifth out of 72 fencers in the men's epee, falling in the quarterfinal to runner-up Almerini.  Tom Racek earned 16^th place in men's foil and Eli Polston took home 12^th place in men's sabre.

Solid Start
The women's team faired well at the Big One Tournament as well, with three Brewers finishing in the top five for their event.  Sophomore Olivia Weiss took home third place overall in the women's epee after falling in the semifinal.  Freshman Annie Innes-Gold kicked off her Vassar Career with a third place finish in women's sabre, and sophomore Elsa Stoff grabbed fifth place in the women's foil event.

Up Next
The teams will have a week off before the Matt Lampell Hudson River Invite at home in Walker Field House on Sunday, November 16^th.