The women's fencing team will go to the New England Championships this Saturday, and while none have set high expectations, most team members say that they plan to finish well.
At the team's latest success - a University of New Hampshire Conference meet on Feb. 9 - the Jumbos faced many of the same schools they will meet this weekend, including Boston University, Boston College, Wellesley, and UNH.
"We really saw how far we have come this year," junior captain Frances Harper said. "We played close to many teams and feel that going into New Englands we have an edge based on other teams underestimating us."
"We faced some tough competitors and showed that we can stay with them," sophomore Amanda Haley added. "Some team members were down because they lost their bouts, but when we talked about it we realized that our efforts had paid off, and we could compete with these schools."
Of the team's loses, many were close games lost to more experienced opponents. Some competitors have fenced for as many as six years, while many on Tufts' team are new to the sport.
The team also lost a number of starters to graduation last year, most notably former captain Amy Dickenson. Juniors Mika Mutoh, Lisa Grunder, and Kim Harbin are studying abroad this season, further cutting into the ranks. Replacing those experienced members was the hardest task this team has had to face yet. But the young team is led by a solid core of juniors, including Harper, Kasara Williams, Diana DeLuca, and Emily Cappetta, who have helped the new members get adjusted.
At least one member from each of the three squads - foil, epee, and sabre - is new to the team, and the foil squad is composed entirely of new fencers.
"It has been a difficult year since none of us on the foil squad had fenced at the collegiate level, and only one of us came in with any fencing experience at all," Christina Zahara, leader of the foil squad said.
Coach Jason Sachs has worked diligently with the squads to bring them to a competitive level. The team is smaller than usual, but the women have responded well to his teaching style, helping them to take big strides in overcoming their inexperience.
"[Sachs] is a young guy who is still very much involved in the sport," Haley said. "Because he still fences we find his teaching style is easier to relate to. We trust him more because of that as well."
One of the big decisions Sachs has made going into this weekend's championships has been to place freshman Zinger Yang at the 'A' spot for the foil squad. Zinger is the only member on the foil squad with previous experience, but at the 'A' spot she will face the best foil fencers from other schools. This could be a difficult task for a freshman, but her teammates have confidence in her.
Zahara says that the foil squad as a whole has reached a comfort level with the sport, where they can go into the championships and come away with experience and exposure.
The more experienced members from the epee and sabre squads feel that the entire team can finish strong at the championships. "My freshman year was considered a rebuilding year and we finished fourth at New Englands," Harper said "This year was a similar situation, and I think we can do just as well, if not better." A good result could also propel some athletes into the regional competition on March 2.
