The fencing team dropped to 0-2 in league competition and 3-2 overall this weekend, as it lost 19-8 to Harvard. The Crimson now moves to 1-1 in the Ivies and 4-1 overall.
Despite the fact that Harvard has its strongest team in 25 years, Cornell head coach Al Peters remained optimistic about the weekend.
“We went in knowing, but we also went in ready,” said Peters.
On a whole, Cornell pushed Harvard to its limits by making a majority of the bouts last to a 5-4 decision. The Red also fared well in the epee competition, winning by a final score of 6-3. The epee bouts showcased one of the Red’s best performers in freshman Meghan Phair.
Hailed as a “shining spot” for the team by Peters, Phair was undefeated on the day. Senior Siobhan Cully added two more wins for the epee squad.
The Red did not perform as well in the saber and foil competitions. Senior captain Tara Watkins managed to claim one foil bout, however, her lone win for the foil squad would not be enough. Harvard would outlast Cornell 8-1, claiming both the foil and saber competitions.
Cornell’s performance was not much different from last year’s. Again, the Red defeated Harvard to win the epee title, but could not pull out an overall win. The team also lost the foil and saber competitions. The final score was 17-10.
The fencing team returns to competition next Saturday as it travels to Princeton, N.J. to face Temple, Fairleigh Dickinson and Princeton.
Archived article by Sun Staff