WALTHAM, Mass. – Senior foil fencer
Luke Ritchie of the men’s fencing team and junior foil
Alex McKee of the women’s fencing team field team have been named the Brandeis University Athletes of the Week for the week ending January 28, 2024. The award is presented weekly by the Chateau Restaurant Group.
Ritchie, a native of
Baltimore, Maryland, helped the Judges to a 5-1 record at the 2024 Eric Sollee Invitational at home on Saturday, January 27. Brandeis edged both New Jersey Institute of Technology and Stevens Tech, 14-13, to start the day. After losing the unofficial University Athletic Association championship to NYU, 18-9, they bounced back to defeat Hunter College, 26-1, before pulling the biggest upset of the day with a 16-11 win over 11
th-ranked Duke. It was the men’s first win over the Blue Devils since 2015. The Brandeis men closed the day with a 19-8 win over Haverford to improve to 14-16 overall on the season.
Ritchie paced the Judges’ foil squad to a 5-1 record by going 11-1 for the team’s top winning percentage of the day. He went 3-0 against NJIT, Stevens and Duke and 2-1 against Haverford. He did not fence against NYU or Hunter.
McKee, of
Nyack, New York, helped the women to a 4-2 record at the Eric Sollee Invitational over the weekend. Brandeis defeated NJIT and Stevens by 18-9 scores. They fell to UAA rivals NYU, 15-12, and defeated Hunter, 22-5, before closing the day with a loss to #4 Duke, 22-5, and a win over Haverford, 24-3.
McKee’s foil squad went 4-2, and she was 14-2 overall. McKee was the only Brandeis fencer to post a winning record against all six opponents on the day, going 3-0 against NJIT, Stevens and Haverford, 2-1 against Hunter and NYU and 1-0 against Duke.
The Judges return to action next weekend when they travel to North Carolina for the Duke Invitational. The men compete on Saturday, February 10 and the women on Sunday, February 11.
This is the eighth year that the Brandeis Athlete of the Week program has been presented by The Chateau Restaurant Group. The Athlete of the Year Program highlights a top Brandeis student-athlete who has had an outstanding athletic achievement from the week prior. Each selected student-athlete will be featured on the Brandeis athletics homepage and inside the Chateau Waltham and Jake N Joes
Owned and operated by the Nocera Family, the Chateau Restaurant of Waltham opened in 1933 and set the standard for providing the tradition of Italian family dining, friendly service and quality food at reasonable prices for its customers. Located on 195 School Street, with 900 seats, the Chateau is always ready to accommodate large parties.
The Nocera Family consists of 6 brothers who have always had a passion for playing sports. In 2010, The Nocera Family launched a new concept, Jake n JOES Sports Grille. Jake n JOES Waltham opened in 2014 and is the best place to watch a game and enjoy quality food.
"Brandeis student-athletes are fantastic role models in our community,” says Chateau President Joe Nocera, “They exemplify the ideals of excellence and commitment both on and off the playing field. The Chateau Waltham and Jake n JOES Waltham are proud to partner with Brandeis Athletics to continue to enhance a positive focus within the Waltham Community."
Ritchie is a 2020 graduate of St. Paul’s School. For more information on Brandeis men’s fencing team, visit their web page at
https://brandeisjudges.com/sports/mfence.
McKee is a 2021 graduate of Chatham High School. For more information on Brandeis women’s fencing, visit their web page at
https://brandeisjudges.com/sports/wfence.
For more information on Brandeis athletics, visit our web page at
www.brandeisjudges.com or follow us on social media on Twitter/X, Instagram and Facebook @BrandeisJudges.
