DURHAM, N.C. – The Brandeis University men's fencing team face five opponents ranked in the Top 15 by the United States Fencing Coaches Association today at the Duke University Beguinet Classic. The Judges picked up five squad wins, including two matches where they won twice, but they were unable to come away with any overall victories. The Judges fall to 11-18 on the season.
RESULTS
- #14 North Carolina 15, Brandeis 12
- #9 Penn State 20, Brandeis 7
- #8 Duke 17, Brandeis 10
- #1 Notre Dame 18, Brandeis 9
- #13 (#1 Division 3) NYU 14, Brandeis 13
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Judges opened their day with a 15-12 loss to #14 North Carolina. Brandeis defeated the Tar Heels, 5-4, in saber and foil, but UNC's 7-2 win in epee made the difference in the overall match.
- The men's saber squad were narrowly defeated against #9 Penn State, 5-4, in a 20-7 loss. The Nittany Lions won, 8-1 in foil and 7-2 in epee.
- Against host and #8 Duke, the foil squad prevailed, 6-3, but the Blue Devils won the other two weapons by a 7-2 score to claim a 17-10 win.
- Top-ranked Notre Dame swept all three weapons by a 6-3 score for an 18-9 victory.
- The closest match of the day was a rematch against University Athletic Association rivals NYU, ranked #1 in Division III and #13 overall. The Judges had defeated the Violets a week earlier in Waltham, and took 5-4 wins in saber and epee, but NYU's 6-3 foil victory provided them with a 14-13 overall win.
TOP INDIVIDUALS
- Junior foil fencer Jackson Sullivan (Somerville, Mass. / Greater Commonwealth Virtual School) led the team with eight wins, going 8-5 in all five matches. He was 3-0 against North Carolina and Duke and 2-1 against Notre Dame.
- First-year foil fencer David Knizhnik (Bethesda, Md. / Aeon) was the only Judge to earn a win against all five opponents, going 2-1 against Duke and earning one win against the other four foes.
- Junior Matthew Chaves (Durham, N.C./Durham Acad.), fencing in his hometown, earned seven wins to top the saber squad, including 2-1 marks against UNC, Penn State and NYU.
- Senior saber All-American Lev BenAvram (Bethesda, Md./Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School) had the team's best winning percentage on the day, going 6-3. He was 2-1 against North Carolina and Notre Dame, 1-1 against Duke, and 1-0 against Penn State.
- First-year Dylan Schroeder (Culver City, Calif. / Culver City) and sophomore Hunter Yu (Toronto, Ont. / Lawrence Park Collegiate Institute) each had five wins for the epee squad. Schroeder went 3-0 against Notre Dame and Yu was 3-0 against NYU.
UP NEXT
- The Brandeis women will fence tomorrow at North Carolina's Miller Invitational, and both squads will be back in action on Feb. 22 at the NEIFC Championships.
