No. 9 Bulldogs Win Three of Five at NYU
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Yale men’s fencing team
traveled to New York to compete in the NYU Invitational fencing
tournament on Saturday, Jan. 24. The Bulldogs came away with a 3-2
record on the day, defeating NYU, Wayne State and Stevens Tech.
Yale lost to arguably the top two teams in the country, Notre Dame
and Ohio State. By defeating NYU, the Elis improved on last
year’s 2-3 record at the event.
“This performance was a good improvement over last
year’s performance,” said captain Andrew Holbrook.
“Its something we are all proud of. We had strong individual
performances all day long. However, what was most impressive was
how we performed as a team. Everyone supported, helped and worked
with one another to bring out the best in the team. As we move
towards Ivies, this is what was most exciting and important to
see.”
The Bulldogs began the day with a 17-10 loss to Notre Dame, now
ranked number one in the country. However, the defeat was an
improvement over last year’s 19-8 loss to Notre Dame. Of note
were Nathaniel Benzimra’s 3-0 performance in saber and John
Gurrieri’s 2-1 performance in foil. Benzimra’s showing
was especially impressive considering that Notre Dame has one of
the toughest saber squads in the country. The Bulldogs then went on
to convincingly defeat Stevens Tech and Wayne State, 19-8 and 17-10
respectively. Against Stevens Tech, the perennially strong foil
squad fenced to a perfect 9-0 record—one that was highlighted
by 3-0 performances by both Andrew Holbrook and sophomore Jonathan
Holbrook.
Last year at this same tournament, the Bulldogs lost a 14-13
heartbreaker to a tough NYU team. On Saturday, the Elis were able
to get some revenge on the hosts, defeating them by final score of
20-7. The foil squad compiled an 8-1 record and the epee squad
contributed a 7-2 record. Among these totals were Gurrieri’s
3-0 record in foil, and Alexander Cohen’s matching 3-0 record
in epee.
Finally, the Elis lost a tough one to Ohio State by a final score
of 11-16. The saber and foil squads fenced especially
competitively, both losing by final scores of 4-5.
“Against OSU, we definitely could have won,” noted
Holbrook. “We will all be working on the lessons learned
against them these coming weeks as we prepare for the Ivy League
tournament.”
The Bulldogs benefited from many spectacular individual
performances during the day. Senior epeeist Thomas Bell had a
breakthrough day, compiling an overall record of 9-6. Bell showed
consistency in his winning ways by fencing to 2-1 records against
every team except Notre Dame. Meanwhile, Gurrieri finished the day
with a record of 6-3, despite fencing only against Notre Dame, NYU
and Ohio State. He continues to lead the team with a winning
percentage of 84%. Finally, Benzimra racked up 10 wins against four
losses, highlighted by his 3-0 performance against Notre Dame.
“As we head into next weekend’s home meet with Drew and
Sacred Heart,” commented Holbrook, “we are all excited
to again fence with a home crowd and show why we are one of the
best teams in the nation.”
The Bulldogs will fence Drew and Sacred Heart next Saturday at 1
p.m. in the seventh-floor fencing salon in Payne Whitney
Gymnasium.
Full
Results
Notre Dame: 10-17
Saber: 4-5
Benzimra 3-0
Mills 1-2
Fields 0-2
Zhao 0-1
Foil: 3-6
Kachru 1-2
Botwinick 0-2
Holbrook, A 0-1
Gurrieri 2-1
Epee: 3-6
Bell 1-2
Wan 1-2
Cohen 1-2
Stevens Tech: 19-8
Saber: 4-5
Benzimra 1-1
Mills 2-1
Fields 1-2
Zhao 0-1
Foil: 9-0
Gregoire-Wright 1-0
Botwinick 2-0
Holbrook, A 3-0
Holbrook, J 3-0
Epee: 6-3
Bell 2-1
Wan 2-0
Cohen 2-0
Godoy 0-1
Qu 0-1
Wayne State: 17-10
Saber: 6-3
Benzimra 2-1
Mills 2-1
Fields 2-1
Foil: 5-4
Gregoire-Wright 0-1
Botwinick 2-0
Holbrook, A 2-1
Holbrook, J 0-1
Kachru 1-1
Epee: 6-3
Bell 2-1
Wan 2-1
Cohen 2-1
NYU: 20-7
Saber: 5-4
Benzimra 2-1
Mills 3
Fields 0-2
Zhao 0-1
Foil: 8-1
Gregoire-Wright 1-0
Botwinick 2-0
Gurrieri 3-0
Kachru 2-1
Epee: 7-2
Bell 2-1
Wan 2-1
Cohen 3-0
Ohio State: 16-11
Saber: 4-5
Benzimra 2-1
Mills 1-2
Zhao 1-2
Foil: 4-5
Gurrieri 1-2
Botwinick 1-2
Holbrook, J 2-1
Epee: 3-6
Bell 2-1
Wan 1-1
Cohen 0-2
Godoy 0-1
Qu 0-1
Report By Arsi Sefaj '11, Yale Sports Publicity
