WALTHAM, MA – The Vassar women's fencing team competed in the first Northeast Fencing Conference (NFC) Multimeet of the season, picking up two victories on the day at Brandeis University. The Brewers defeated Dartmouth 22-5 in the first round and then downed Brandeis 16-1 in the fourth round.
Vassar cruised past the Big Green behind an 8-1 foil performance and 7-2 marks by the saber and epee squads. The foil squad was comprised of seniors Zoe Tolbert (Olympia, WA) and Tori Lubin (Westport, CT), and sophomore Hunter Grogan (Lakewood, CO). Both Tolbert and Lubin swept 3-0, while Grogan tallied a 2-1 mark against Dartmouth.
All three saber fencers posted winning records, and first-year Kira Wheeler (New Paltz, NY) went 3-0, while juniors Elise Poniatowski (West Roxbury, MA) and Carter Mucha both were 2-1. The epee group matched the saber's record, and this time first-year Olivia Barnes (Bend, OR) was 3-0. Senior Rose Parker (Portland, OR) won 2-1, and first-year Naomi Hirsch (Melrose Park, PA) went 2-1 as well.
The Brewers fought hard in the second round against Boston College but fell 11-16. Foil had another strong performance, going 8-1 against the Golden Eagles, while epee lost 3-6 and saber got swept. Both Grogan and Lubin recorded 3-0 marks for foil, while Tolbert went 2-1. First-year Danielle Golden (Chestnut Hill, MA) went 2-1 over Boston College, while first-year Addy Xie (Falmouth, MA) added one victory.
The Brewers faced a tough Brown team in the third round and lost 8-19. Vassar was outpaced in all three weapons, losing 3-6 in saber and epee and 2-7 at foil.
Then Vassar bounced back with an impressive 16-11 win over host Brandeis in the fourth round. The foil group led the way with a 7-2 win. Lubin picked up her third 3-0 sweep of the day, and Tolbert and Grogan went 2-1. At epee, Hirsch recorded a 3-0 record against the Judges, while Barnes went 2-1. The saber team struggled, but Wheeler, Nicole Ezell (Morristown, NJ), and Mucha earned a bout victory.
In the final round, Vassar fell 9-18 to MIT. The Brewers' foil won 5-4 from Tolbert and Lubin's 2-1 performance, while Grogan added the decision win. MIT edged Vassar 5-4 at epee, with Barnes leading the Brewers with a 2-1 round. Saber had a tough match, falling 0-9.
Vassar travels to Wellesley next on Sat. Feb. 5 for the NFC Multimeet No. 3.
