WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis men's fencing team nearly upset fifth-ranked Harvard, but the Crimson were able to hang on for a 14-13 win as they claimed the Fencing Beanpot tournament for the 17th-straight year, while the Harvard women won all three of their matches by 19-8 scores to take the trophy for the 19th time in a row.
BRANDEIS HIGHLIGHTS
- The highlight of the evening for the Judges came in second round against the Crimson. The Brandeis men's sabre squad upended Harvard, 7-2, while Harvard took a narrow 5-4 win in foil.
- Brandeis won two of the first three epee bouts but needed to win just one of the last two after the other weapons finished to pull the upset.
- Harvard was able to rally to tie the score at 13-13 when Mihir Kumashi defeated Brandeis's Mark Shamis (San Jose, Calif./Leigh), 5-3. The decisive match pitted Harvard senior Jonas Hansen, the defending NCAA champion in epee, against Brandeis grad student Ben Rogak (E. Setauket, N.Y./Ward-Melville).
- Hansen took a 3-1 lead, but Rogak scored the next two touches, the second with just 17 seconds remaining in regulation. Rogak earned priority for overtime, but Hansen scored the winning touch to give the Crimson the 14-13 win.
- The Brandeis men lost their other two matches by 18-9 scores to BC and MIT.
- The women's closest contest was a 15-12 loss to the Eagles. The Judges fell to Harvard, 19-8, and MIT, 21-6.
- Women's sabre was the most successful squad for the Judges on the evening, with a 6-3 win over BC and 5-4 over Harvard before falling to MIT, 7-2. Graduate student Maggie Shealy (Chapel Hill, N.C./East Chapel Hill) went a team-best 7-2 on the night, while sophomore Kat Xikes (Chatham, N.J./Chatham) went 2-1 against both BC and Harvard.
- Men's sabre's 7-2 win over Harvard was their only squad win of the night, though there were three 5-4 losses, two by men's epee and one by foil.
- Sophomore Lev BenAvram (Bethesda, Md./ Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School) went 5-1 against BC and Harvard before sitting out against MIT. Rogak led the team in total victories, going 6-3 for the epee squad. Shamis also had four wins, picking up at least one victory against all three opponents.
UP NEXT
- Brandeis will meet BC and MIT again on Sunday as part of the 2023 Northeast Fencing Conference schedule.
SCORES
MEN
- Harvard 14, Brandeis 13
- Harvard 17, MIT 10
- Harvard 17, BC 10
- BC 18, Brandeis 9
- BC 14, MIT 13
- MIT 18, Brandeis 9
STANDINGS
- Harvard 3-0
- BC 2-1
- MIT 1-2
- Brandeis 0-3
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WOMEN
- Harvard 19, Brandeis 8
- Harvard 19, MIT 8
- Harvard 19, BC 8
- MIT 15, BC 12
- MIT 21, Brandeis 6
- BC 16, Brandeis 11
STANDINGS
- Harvard 3-0
- MIT 2-1
- BC 1-2
- Brandeis 0-3
