POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – The Vassar men's fencing team opened 2020 with a strong senior day performance on Sunday, going 4-1 against Cleveland State, Detroit Mercy, and Drew at Walker Field House. Each weapon posted 30 or more victories, with five Brewers tallying seven or more wins.
The foil group led Vassar at 32-13, while epee went 31-14, and sabre posted a 30-15 record. Junior Evin Heintz (Pearland, TX) led Vassar, amassing a 9-0 sabre record.
The Brewers began with a 17-10 victory over Cleveland State. Vassar won sabre 8-1 behind 3-0 performances by first-year Conor Travaglione (East Northport, NY) and Heintz. Senior Graeme Mills (Boston, MA) went 2-1 in the opener. Foil edged the Vikings 5-4 with sophomore Caleb Klein (Chappaqua, NY) leading the way with a 2-1 win. At epee, the Brewers fell 4-5, but junior Abram Gregory (North Smithfield, RI) went 2-1 in a come-from-behind victory in the third bout.
Vassar cruised past Detroit Mercy 23-4 in the next round. The Brewers swept both the epee and foil at 9-0 and slipped by 5-4 at the sabre. Foil tallied 3-0 marks from senior Ben Papsun (North Haven, CT) and sophomore Chase Estes (Naples, FL) as well as a 2-0 mark by sophomore Chris Gaehde (Brookline, MA). Freshman Antonio Quevedo (Weston, VT) also won 1-0. Epee saw Nishay Bhatnagar (Livingston, NJ) and Gregory go 3-0.
In the rematch with Cleveland State, the Vikings tripped up the Brewers 14-13. Heintz went 3-0 in sabre to lead the squad to a 7-2 victory, but foil fell 2-7 and epee, 4-5. Vassar then defeated the Titans 24-3 with another 9-0 sweep in epee. Foil went 8-1, while sabre was 7-2. Bhatnagar posted his second 3-0 of the day, while junior Michael Jaklitsch (Saint James, NY) and sophomore Alden Pierson Smela (Minneapolis, MN) also were 3-0. At foil, Quevedo and Estes were 3-0, while Papsun added on two wins.
The Brewers closed the day with a 16-11 win over Drew. Foil rolled to an 8-1 victory, while epee slipped by the Rangers 5-4. Sabre fell 3-6. At foil, Berger and Klein finished 3-0. Freshman Tom Stadnikov (Sudbury, MA) led the epee squad, wrapping up at 3-0.
Vassar returns to action on Sat. Jan. 25 for the Northeast Conference Multi Meet #2 held at Boston College.
