February 9, 2013

Elis Head to Ivy League Championships

UPDATE: Championships Postponed

PRINCETON, N.J. — Due to anticipated travel problems surrounding Winter Storm Nemo, the 2013 Ivy League Fencing Round-Robins have been postponed for this weekend (Feb. 9 and 10).

With more than 20 inches of snow forecast for the Boston area, travel is anticipated to become difficult throughout New England during the day Friday and well into Saturday. After monitoring the situation throughout the day Wednesday and Thursday, the League decided Thursday night that it was best to postpone the event.

The Ivy League office will be looking at a potential date to reschedule the Round-Robins.

---

Season Culminates in Cambridge

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — The Yale men's fencing team will be tested when it heads to Cambridge, Mass., this weekend for the Feb. 9-10 Ivy League Championships.

Hosted this year by Ancient Eight rival Harvard, the Ivy League Championships mark the culmination of a mixed season for the Elis. The Yale team will look to build on last weekend's 2-1 win record at a Vassar meet in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and to improve on its tie for fifth place at last year's Ivy League Championships, which it hosted in New Haven at Coxe Cage.

Last weekend's competition, which included substantial 22-5 and 17-10 victories over Drew and Vassar, respectively, demonstrated the underclassmen depth of the Yale team. And at the other end of the spectrum, junior Peter Cohen put up a 5-0 performance and senior Nathaniel Benzimra posted a 3-0 record against Sacred Heart, which the Bulldogs fell to in a heartbreaking 14-13 verdict.

That result adds to a 3-2 record at the Jan. 27 NYU Invitational and an impressive 5-1 record at the Dec. 2 Brandeis Invitational. If the Elis can perform well over the weekend, they should be positioned to build on last year's result at the Ivy League Championships, which included a 17-10 win against Brown.

Yale fencers who have performed well throughout the season and bring their form to the Ivy League Championships will be invited to the Mar. 10 NCAA Northeast Regional.

Report filed by James Lu '14, Yale Sports Publicity.