MADISON, N.J. – The Vassar men's fencing team opened the 2021-22 campaign on Sunday at the Rangers Fall Invitational hosted by Drew University. The Brewers showed positive signs, going 3-1 in NCAA eligible competitions. Sophomore Benjamin Lee (Tacoma, WA) highlighted the day with a 14-0 performance in foil.

Each weapon group posted a winning record on the day, with foil leading the way at 29-7. Sabre went 21-15, while epee was 20-16. Vassar won its first three rounds by defeating Stevens (14-13), Rutgers (21-3), and Yeshiva (24-3). The Brewers then dropped an 11-16 decision to Drew. The Vassar "A" squad also competed and won 16-11 over Navy while falling 13-14 to Army.

In the first round, the epee squad went 5-4, with first-year Eli Weise (Seattle, WA) going undefeated at 3-0. Wins from Nishay Bhatnagar (Livingston, NJ) and Jack Plumer (Bel Air, MD) gave Vassar the edge in epee. Then in foil, Lee's 3-0 performance and a 2-1 mark by Caleb Klein (Chappaqua, NY) helped Vassar pull off the win. The Vassar sabre fencers fell 3-6, but sophomore Wolff Gilligan (New York, NY) went 2-1 against the Ducks.

In the second round, Bhatnagar bounced back by going 3-0 against Rutgers to help the foil squad to a 7-2 mark. Weise also went undefeated at 3-0, while Plumer added another victory. After dropping two bouts in the first round, sophomore Frank Ryan (Winnetka, IL) went 2-1, and Klein posted a 3-0 record at foil. Sabre won 6-3 behind a 3-0 performance from Conor Travaglione (East Northport, NY) and Gilligan's 2-1 mark.

Vassar cruised past a light Yeshiva squad and won epee (6-3), foil (9-0), and sabre (9-0). The trio of Bhatnagar, Plumer, and Weise all went 2-1 against the Maccabees at epee. In foil, Lee kept his winning streak alive, while Klein and Frank were 3-0. All three sabre fencers posted undefeated records, with first-year Justin Lederer (Short Hills, NJ) also going 3-0. 

The Brewers faced a challenge when they faced the host Rangers. The epee squad fell 2-7, with both bout wins coming from Plumer. Foil managed the 6-3 win over Drew, with Lee posting his 12th victory of the day. Klein was 2-0, while Alex Yim (Orlando, FL) subbed in to tack on one win. Sabre dropped a 3-6 decision, but Travaglione was 3-0 to finish the meet with nine-straight victories.

For the "A" squad, the Brewers lost to Army 2-7 in epee and 3-6 in sabre, but had a solid 8-1 victory in foil. At foil, both Yim and Liam Inchoco (Fairfield, CT) posted 3-0 marks, while Brady Traugot (New York, NY) went 2-1. Then for sabre, Tian Hahn (Lake Oswego, OR) went 2-1 against the Black Knights. Bhatnagar was 2-1, Weise went 1-0, and Plumer was 3-0. Junior Spencer Emerson (Willow Grove, PA) subbed in at epee and tacked on one bout victory. Lee remained unbeaten and added two more wins at foil, while Klein also was 2-0. The sabre squad struggled against Navy, but Lederer and Nicholas Gayle (Montclair, NJ) each had one win. 

Next weekend, Vassar is back in action for the NEIFC Big One Invitational held at Walker Field House on Sun. Nov. 7.