Fencing Attempts Furthur Domination at Ivy Tournament

With the end of the season rapidly approaching, the Columbia fencing team knows it only has two opportunities left to prove itself as the Lions fight for a possible national championship. Sunday’s NCAA Northeast Regional at Vassar is the next step for the Light Blue as it attempts to qualify the maximum number of 12 fencers for next month’s NCAA Championships at Ohio State.
What was expected to be a potential rebuilding year for Columbia after losing seven seniors has turned into one of the most dominating seasons on record for the program up to this point.
“This season has been a small, but wonderful surprise,” head coach George Kolombatovich said. “The fact that our team has done as well as it has is far beyond the expectations of most people. This Sunday is nothing but pressure though and what ends up happening is we’re going to see who has it and who doesn’t.”
Heading into the NCAA Regional, the Light Blue has proven itself against some of the nation’s top competition. After a mixed showing against three of the top five teams in the country at the NYU Duals, the Lions won 17 straight matches—sweeping the Ivy League as well as Vassar, NYU, and Sacred Heart.
With the program’s first combined Ivy championship since the 2002-03 campaign, the Lions sit in a strong position heading to Sunday’s event. Still, the team knows that anything is possible on the strips.
“We have to focus on the moment, with the biggest thing being to focus on getting to the goal and not on the goal itself,” Kolombatovich added. “There are always the unknowns, and we had a few surprises last weekend at the IFAs, so you try to do the best that you can considering the circumstances.”
Unlike last season, Columbia has, for the most part, stayed away from injuries. Senior co-captain Emily Jacobson, who did not fence at last weekend’s Intercollegiate Fencing Association Championships, is available and will compete this Sunday. Sophomore épéeist Tess Finkel, who declined to participate in the individual portion of the IFAs after sustaining a small injury in last Thursday’s practice, will also be starting for the Lions, making all 18 starters available for competition.
All bouts and individual records before the NCAA Regionals account for 40 percent of a fencer’s qualifying number, while the record at the Regional event itself will make up the remaining 60 percent. Each Regional will send a specific number of fencers to the NCAA Championships based on the strength of the teams competing in the region. Although teams will sport 18 fencers, three in each of the six disciplines, only two can qualify in each weapon for a maximum of 12.
As for what the chances are that this group, a young team by any standard, will qualify the maximum number of fencers for the NCAA Championships, Kolombatovich would not give a prediction.
“The four women freshmen have blossomed under the team camaraderie,” he said. “As a team, we’re lucky to have people that succeed both in the individual and team mentalities. A legitimate goal for this group is 12, and that is slightly different than a prediction. Even semantics involved change a team’s perspective, so we view it as a goal.”