Women's fencing: Thrusting a three-peat

With victories over Princeton and Harvard, the women's fencing team became the first in history to win three consecutive Ivy League Championships.

Since 1990, Columbia and Pennsylvania have both won back-to-back Ivy League fencing championships. Both, however, failed in their quest toward the ever-elusive three-peat. This past weekend, the women's fencing squad secured its place in history as it became the first to win three consecutive Ivy League Championships in the '90s. Yale finished the regular season with a perfect 11-0 record (5-0 Ivy), after a 19-13 victory over Princeton and a 27-5 win against a hapless Harvard.

Heading into last weekend's H-Y-P's, the Yale squad knew the Ivy Championship was well within their reach. "We felt strong," Sharon Katz, MC '98, commented, "[But] there was some concern because it was a dual meet." As evidenced by their comfortable victories over fellow "Big Three" cohorts, the Elis' concerns were largely unnecessary.

Looking ahead to the rest of season, the women will travel to M.I.T. for the Intercollegiate Fencing Association Championships next week. The focus of competition, however, will move from team to individual, as fencers will vie for qualification standards to the following week's Northeast Regional Championships, held at Vassar College, en route to the NCAA Championships at the University of Notre Dame on March 18.

As the team prepares to graduate eight seniors, one might expect the next few years to be aimed at rebuilding the team. Having experienced the rush of Ivy league supremacy for three years, however, Katie Zuckerman, JE '99, foresees continued success. "We have a lot of depth," he said. "No matter what happens [with graduation], we'll win." Who can argue with such a bold claim? Certainly not perennial cellar-dwellers Princeton and Harvard.

--Richard Albert

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