Ersen Leads Blue Fencing To 5-1 Mark at NFC #3, Team Sets Program Wins Record
MEDFORD, Mass. -- First year Yasemin Ersen (Newton, Mass.) was 16-0 in sabre to lead Wellesley College fencing to a 5-1 record at the third Northeast Fencing Conference meet of the season on Saturday at Tufts University. The Blue defeated Tufts, Smith, UMass, Boston University, and Dartmouth but fell to Vassar.
Wellesley improved to 23-6 overall, establishing a new program record for wins in a season with 23, topping the previous mark of 22 set in 2010-11. The Blue also secured the program's second straight 20-win season for the first time in program history.
Junior Brie Maurer (Fredericksburg, Va.) finished 12-2 to lead the foil squad, while sophomore Julia Calventus-Coveney (Barcelona, Spain) put together a 13-2 mark to lead the epee squad. Both Maurer and Calventus-Coveney eclipsed the 60-win mark on the season in today's meet.
Wellesley 19, Tufts 8
The Blue topped Tufts for the second time this season, defeating the Jumbos, 19-8 in the opening round. The Blue were paced by victories of 8-1 in sabre and 7-2 in epee, while Tufts countered with a 5-4 win in foil. First year Panya Tang (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) finished 3-0 in epee, while Ersen and Lauren Park (Wayne, N.J.) were both 3-0 in sabre.
Wellesley 25, Smith 2
Following a second-round bye, the Blue stormed past Smith to secure their second straight 20-win season with a 25-2 victory. Wellesley was a perfect 9-0 in foil and sabre, with Molly McLachlan (Chapel Hill, N.C.) and Lucille Tsao (Succasunna, N.J.) going 3-0 in foil and Hanamei Shao (Vandenberg AFB, Calif.) finishing 3-0 in sabre. The Blue also took a 7-2 win in epee.
Wellesley 23, UMass 4
Wellesley earned a third straight victory with a 23-4 win over UMass. Calventus-Coveney and Tang were both 3-0 to lead the epee squad to an 8-1 win. The Blue posted a second straight 9-0 win in sabre, as Ersen added another 3-0 round. Wellesley secured a 6-3 win in foil with McLachlan, Maurer, and Tsao each earning a pair of victories.
Vassar 16, Wellesley 11
The Brewers handed the Blue their only setback of the day during the fifth round of action. Wellesley took a 6-3 victory in sabre but fell 7-2 in foil and 6-3 in epee to drop the 16-11 final. Ersen and Park helped lead the Blue in sabre, with Ersen going 3-0 and Park finishing at 2-1 in her three bouts.
Wellesley 22, Boston University 5
The Blue got back on track against the Terriers in the sixth round, earning a 22-5 win. Wellesley was undefeated in foil and took an 8-1 win in sabre but needed all nine bouts to earn a 5-4 win in epee. Calventus-Coveney earned three wins, including the clincher, as the Blue earned two of the final three victories to win the weapon.
Wellesley 27, Dartmouth 0
Wellesley rolled past Dartmouth to close out the day, defeating the Big Green 27-0 with sweeps in all three weapons. The win was Wellesley's first 27-0 shutout of the season and the first during the tenure of Head Coach Ariana Klinkov.
Wellesley returns to action on Saturday, March 2, when the Blue will host the 2019 NEIFC Championships at Dorothy Towne Fieldhouse. Competition begins at 9:00 AM. For more information, visit www.neifc.org/neifc-championships