In a tuneup meet before this weekend’s Ivy League Championships, Columbia’s men’s and women’s fencing teams faced off against NYU, Vassar College, and Sacred Heart University at the Historical Meet Plus.
The No. 6 women’s squad swept the competition by defeating NYU 17-10 and then dominating both Vassar and Sacred Heart by a score of 22-5 each match.
The No. 8 men’s squad did not have the same success. They beat Vassar 16-11, but lost two narrow matches to NYU, 14-13, and Sacred Heart, 15-12.
“I think having this meet today, just before this weekend, was a good shakedown for us,” coach George Kolombatovich said.
Surprisingly, the records of both the men’s and women’s teams have not been stellar so far this season. At the NYU Invitational, the men and women each went 1-4, and at the St. John’s Super Cup, the women went 1-4 and the men 0-5. But those losses are deceiving, for they were against some of the top ranked schools in the country—Notre Dame, Ohio State, St. John’s, Harvard, and Penn State.
“We’ve lost more than we’ve won. We don’t have enough experienced people. You might call this a rebuilding year. However, I’m pleased with everything each individual fencer has done,” Kolombatovich said.
Both the men’s and women’s teams will travel to Princeton to compete at the Ivy League Championships on Saturday and Sunday, a meet that always includes some of the best fencing talent in the country.
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