POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (November 12, 2017) – All three weapon groups picked up over 40 bout victories on Sunday, as the Vassar College men's fencing squad started its dual match season with a perfect 8-0 day in action from the 2017 Vassar Invitational in Walker Field House.

The Brewers (8-0) started the day with a 23-4 win over Yeshiva University, followed by back-to-back 19-8 victories over Hunter College and Stevens Institute of Technology. Following a 16-11 win over Haverford College, Vassar picked up a 21-6 win over West Point in round six. The Brewers ended the day with consecutive 18-9 victories over the University of Incarnate Word and Drew University.

In the opening round, Vassar saw the epee squad go a perfect 9-0, while both foil and sabre contributed with seven wins apiece. Sophomore Graeme Mills was 3-0 in sabre, with freshman Michael Jaklitsch also started the day with three wins. In the second match of the day, the foil groups were both 7-2, as Jaklitsch and fellow freshman foil fencer Adlai Brandt-Ogman paced VC past Hunter with three wins apiece.

In the third match of the day, VC saw the sabre squad chalk up a 7-2 round led by 3-0 records from freshman Evin Heintz and senior Eli Polston, while sophomore Noe Berger captured all three of his bouts in foil against the Ducks. VC's closest match of the day came in the fourth round, but the epee team came through big with eight wins paced by the three from Jaklitsch and two from senior Jonathan Alperstein.

Vassar's fifth victory of the afternoon came over West Point, led by 8-1 rounds from both the sabre and epee teams. Jaklitsch, Alperstein and senior Daniel Swerzenski each went 2-0 in epee for VC, while Mills led the charge for the sabre team with a 3-0 mark. Squad mates Heintz and Polston each finished 2-0, while Brandt-Ogman was 2-0 in foil.

Against the Cardinals of Incarnate Word, all three squads chalked up victories, led by the 8-1 round from the sabre team. Both Mills and sophomore Nicholas Williams were 3-0 in sabre, while freshman Ian Law was 2-1 as well for the sabre squad. Senior Tom Racek was 2-1 in foil for VC against ICW, and Alperstein and Jaklitsch both registered two wins in epee.

In the day's finale, Vassar saw all three weapons earn victories of 6-3, highlighted by three wins at sabre by Polston and three wins by Brandt-Ogman in foil. On the day, Vassar's sabre team was undefeated, as was the epee crew for the Brewers. In all, VC's squads chalked up a 23 of 24 weapon victories.

Individually, Jaklitsch paced the Brewers with a stellar day, as the freshman chalked up a 17-3 afternoon. Squad teammates Alperstein and Swerzenski were both 12-4, with reserves Abram Gregory and Roman Guglielmo each winning three of their four bouts in epee. The epee squad led the three weapon groups with a 48-14 record.

In sabre, Mills was 15-6 for the Brewers as Heintz and Polston chalked up 13 and 12 victories, respectively. In foil, Vassar was 41-21, led by the 10 wins apiece from Racek and Brandt-Ogman. Berger added a 9-5 day for VC.

"Very happy with the success of the men's team today," said head coach Bruce Gillman. "It was actually not the best day for some of our normal standouts, but a total team performance picked everyone up and led to the team going undefeated today."

Vassar will continue its home stand next Sunday in Walker Field House, November 19 at 10 a.m., as VC hosts Senior Day during the Matt Lampell Hudson River Invitational.