Princeton University Athletics
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Princeton Fencing Unsheaths Season This Weekend at Penn State's Garret Open
October 20, 2005 | Men's Fencing
Oct. 20, 2005
PRINCETON, N.J. - Princeton's men's and women's fencing teams begin their seasons this weekend with individual competitions at Penn State's Garret Open beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The Tigers will send 17 women's fencers and 18 men's competitors.
Junior Erin McGarry and senior Kira Hohensee lead five Princeton women in the epee. McGarry, who has qualified for the NCAA national meet in each of her first two years, finished sixth in the nation last year. Hohensee has qualified for the national competition in two of her three seasons with a 24th-place finish in 2005.
Senior co-captain Jacqueline Leahy is one of four foil competitors for the Orange and Black. The NCAA bronze medalist has lost just once in 40 Ivy competitions over three years and has never missed an NCAA championship meet, bettering her finish in each of her first three seasons.
The saber is the widest field on the women's side as eight Tigers make the trip to State College, six of whom are underclassmen. Junior co-captain Elan DiMaio and senior Caroline Block lead the mostly greenhorn crew into competition this weekend.
On the men's side, six Tigers will wield the epee, none more accomplished on the collegiate level than senior Ben Solomon. The three-time NCAA national competitor finished fifth in the country in his rookie season and had an eighth-place finish last year.
Junior Alejandro Bras, another regular national meet qualifier, leads five men's foil entrants. Bras, a First-Team All-Ivy honoree last season and a two-time NCAA national qualifier, had the most Ivy wins of any returning Princeton men's fencer regardless of weapon at 9-3. Just as on the women's side, the saber event holds the largest number of competitors for Princeton this weekend with seven making the trip. Senior captain Owen Cornwall is one of four sabers to compete in an Ivy bout last season and all four return, including sophomore Robert Brenner, junior Joseph Cho and sophomore John Winnerman.
Following the individual competition, the Princeton teams are away from meets until the dual-meet schedule begins Dec. 3, also at Penn State, with NYU, Rutgers and North Carolina.