The Cornell women’s fencing team travelled to Harvard this past weekend to compete in the Ivy League Championship tournament at the Albert H. Gordon track in Cambridge, Mass. The results of the Round Robin had the Red in fifth place out of seven teams, with a total of two wins and four losses.Although the numbers may not show it, the tournament was a victory for the Red, who came in last place last year. The squad not only snatched two wins this year but also fought hard in every match. The Red’s perseverance made each bout competitive; the squad battled from start to finish in each match, giving its rivals a run for their money and making them really earn their wins.“Even though our results didn’t come out with us on top, we were still ecstatic because we felt we put up a fight with every school we faced. We fought hard for every touch and even the bouts we lost, we lost by a small margin,” freshman Ashley Muller said.The Red wrapped up the first day with a disappointing three losses against Princeton (22-5), Harvard (16-11) and Brown (15-12). The Red regrouped by coming back on day two determined to win.The squad was successful in turning its stats around as it grabbed two wins on Sunday to slide into fifth place.Highlights included taking down Penn for the first time since the 1970s. The tight contest concluded with the Red stealing a 14-13 win from the Quakers.“Our win against Penn was especially rewarding because we haven’t beaten them in many years and it felt great to finally achieve that goal,” Muller said.The Red crushed Yale in a much less suspenseful match-up with wins in all three weapons.“The energy in the crowd was infectious. Almost everybody’s parents came to cheer us on which made us feel really supported and gave us that much more determination to succeed,” Muller said.This tournament is the most competitive of the Red’s season as the best of the best battle for the title of Ivy League Fencing Champions. The team has made huge strides since last year, as seen by the two win difference, and hopes to continue to improve and show a stronger performance against its Ivy League foes this time next year, according to members of the squad.The Red closes its season with a positive attitude looking into next season.“We are satisfied with our results but we think we will do even better next year because our freshman know what to expect and we have already begun to truly make a dent in the Ivy League,” said freshman Ediona Sera.
Original Author: Sydney Altschuler