POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (January 14, 2015) – The Vassar College women's fencing team will pay tribute to its five seniors on Sunday morning, as the Brewers host the Vassar College Fencing Challenge in Walker Field House at 10 a.m. in non-conference action. The Brewers will honor seniors Anveshi Guha (Jonesboro, AR/Arkansas School for Mathematics), Kathleen Konno (Newburgh, NY/Our Lady of Lourdes), Megan Lewis (Charleston, SC/Governor's School), Anastasia Stevens (Peterborough, NH/Contoocook Valley Regional) and Janelle Washington (Brooklyn, NY/High School Health Prof. Human) before the meet for their hard work at VC.   

Meet Details
Date: January 18, 2015
Meet: Vassar College Fencing Challenge and Senior Day
Teams Competing: University of Detroit-Mercy, Cleveland State University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Yale University, Sacred Heart University, Long Island University-Post, Tufts University
Links: (Vassar Women's Fencing Team Home Page) (Roster) (Schedule) (Statistics)
Site: Poughkeepsie, NY
Facility: Walker Field House
Time: 10 a.m.
Twitter Coverage: (@VassarAthletics)
Meet Coverage: (Live Video)
 
What To Watch For
The five graduating seniors have all had a different role for head coach Bruce Gillman and his squad, but all five have been very important to the continued improvement and success of the program. This season, Stevens and Konno have served as team captains and have done a great job of keeping the team's motivated, while Lewis had that distinction last year as a junior. Guha has been a hard worker and solid teammate in her tenure, and Washington has stepped in and contributed this season in the foil strip for Vassar as a part-time starter in 2014-15.
 
A Look At The Field
The Brewers will take on Detroit-Mercy at 10 a.m., and the Titans will roll our a lineup that is highlighted by senior sabre fencer Katie Lang and senior epee fencer Kaylah Berndt, each of whom fenced at NCAA Midwest Regionals last season. Vassar then takes on Cleveland State University at 11 a.m., and will have to contend with the Viking's standout foil fencing group of Samantha Finster, Sudeshna Chakraborty and Sarah Mok. VC then takes on the Highlanders of NJIT, who are led by senior epee fencer and NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional qualifier Julia Aranov.
 
Vassar then battles the Jumbos of Tufts University after the lunch break, and will have to deal with TU's strong sabre squad comprised of two Regional qualifiers in Alex Boden and Sarah Innes-Gold. The match will feature a sisterly showdown as Sarah Innes-Gold of Tufts will take on her younger sister for VC in Annie Innes-Gold (Northampton, MA/Northampton). After the Brewers take on the Jumbos LIU-Post comes calling, as the Pioneers are in their first season of existence and currently have 10 fencers on the roster. VC finishes action at 3:30 against Yale University, battling the Bulldogs and their deep lineup, as YU brings seven Northeast Regional competitors back this year, led by foilist Lauren Miller, who finished 17^th at the NCAA Championships in 2014.
 
Twice as Weiss
Sophomore Olivia Weiss (Pittsburgh, PA/Pennsylvania Cyber Charter) was stellar as a freshman, but has been just as good this season. Weiss leads all epee fencers for VC with 36 wins, and ranks third on the team in total wins.
 
Dynamic Duo
Freshman Kirsten Denman (Yellow Springs, OH/Yellow Springs) and Weiss fared well their last time out, as they were the only Vassar fencers with a winning record for the day at Sacred Heart. VC battled four ranked teams at Sacred Heart, knocking off New York University who was earning votes.
 
Step Up Time
The Brewers lost two strong epee fencers in Rachel Messbauer (Springfield, MA/MacDuffie School) and Maggie Shepherd (Sausalito, CA/Novato), who are both abroad for this semester. It will fall on Amreen Bhasin (Cresskill, NJ/Riverdale) to pick up much of the slack behind Weiss and Lewis with those two gone. Audrey Aller (Dubai, UAE/Lycee Franc Georges Pompidou) is 6-2 also and could get some time in the lineup as well.
 
Gold Standard
The Brewers found a gem in freshman Annie Innes-Gold, as she currently leads the Brewers in total bout victories with 46 and looks like a definite contender to make a run at NCAA Regionals later this season.
 
Shining As A Senior
Senior Anastasia Stevens has developed into a very effective sabre fencers, evidenced by her strong 28-17 record and four wins her last time out against top-notch fencers.
 
Up Next
The Brewers will head Brown University Saturday, January 24 for Northeast Fencing Conference action, taking on seven teams in a crucial afternoon of league fencing for Vassar.