The fencing team traveled to Johns Hopkins University on Sunday to compete in the Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Fencing Association A vs C meet.
The Leopards posted winning records on both the men’s and women’s sides, with the men defeating Navy, Haverford College, William and Mary University and the University of Maryland, with their sole loss against Johns Hopkins.
Johns Hopkins also handed the women their only loss of the day, but they recorded wins against Haverford, Maryland and Navy.
The Maroon and White saw a particularly strong performance from junior epee Tyler Morse, who posted a 13-2 record on the day. He was followed by senior foil Amir Whitehead, freshman sabre Jordan Ginsberg and freshman epee Ryan Leibowitz, who all recorded 11 wins.
Morse said his familiarity with several of the teams allowed him to adapt his strategy on the strip.
“Even before I was in college, I was fencing them, so I know what they’re going to do and how they compete,” Morse said.
On the women’s side, senior epee Zoe O’Connor only recorded one loss on the day against Johns Hopkins in the second round. Freshman epee Hilla Wetherill followed close behind with a 10-2 record on the day.
O’Connor said that maintaining a good “head space” was crucial to her success on Sunday.
“I wasn’t nervous at all,” she said. “I was keeping a very relaxed demeanor, and I think that’s what helped me through.”
O’Connor said the epee weapon group has been working on footwork and distance throughout the season.
“For the women’s epee team, we’ve been doing a lot of drills where we’re waiting for the right time to attack rather than going right off the bat,” O’Connor said. “We’ve been practicing our patience.”
Although multiple teams, including Navy, William and Mary and the University of Maryland were club teams, meaning the Leopards’ wins against them do not count towards their season-long record, several team members swapped weapons in the final match of the day against Navy to finish out the tournament.
While Morse did not switch weapons against Navy because he only had one loss at that point, he said having fun at meets helps to “keep spirits up.”
“When people are switching around, they also need a little more coaching, even actively while they’re fencing,” Morse said. “It helps us bond a little more.”
The women will travel to Fairleigh Dickinson University on Sunday for the FDU Invitational, and both teams will be back in action at Drew University on Feb. 15.
Disclaimer: News Editor Makenna McCall ’27 is a member of the fencing team. She did not contribute writing or reporting.
