The Cornell fencing team has quite a stretch coming up, as it competes in the USFA Junior Olympic Championships for four consecutive days beginning tomorrow in Columbus, Ohio.
The Red is coming off a solid weekend in which it easily beat James Madison and Fairleigh Dickinson. The only blemish was a loss against Princeton, also at home.
The squad enters the competition this weekend with a 6-5 record. After a season-opening loss against Yale, Cornell has flirted with the .500 mark for much of the season. The team’s current status is unique, however, in the sense that this is the first time that the Red enters a weekend of competition with a record above that benchmark.
The Red has achieved success in recent weeks with improved balance. The epee squad remained undefeated for its first eight matches. For the most part, it was a typical weekend for the group last week, defeating both JMU and FDU. However, it did suffer its first loss against Princeton. The saber squad, on the other hand, went undefeated. Such solid all-around play should serve the team well in the Junior Olympic Championships.
In addition to performing solidly over the next four days, the Red will also look to use the competition to prepare itself for a series of important dates as its season winds down.
Next weekend, the team will play four different schools including the two Ivy League rivals it has yet to play, Penn and Columbia.
Archived article by Amanda Angel