A full season of practice and hard work culminated on April 10 in Chicago when the men's fencing team placed eighth at the United States Association of Collegiate Fencing Club's National Championship. Over 700 collegiate fencers gathered at host University of Chicago to compete for the club crown.
Local rival Northwestern University earned the title with a final tally of 805 points while the home team finished in 12th place with a total of 455 points. Tufts was able to amass 530 points — edging out No. 9 Arizona State and No. 10 William & Mary by just 15 and 30 points, respectively.
The three separate squads enjoyed varied results at the meet, with the sabre team paving the way to the Jumbos' impressive showing by placing sixth of 33 for 255 points. The epee group had success as well, finishing 10th of 34 competing squads and adding another 195 to the Tufts total. The foil team was unable to join its counterparts in the top 10 and ended up in 20th of 34, good for 80 points.
"The sabre team graduated a key senior," senior sabre team member Yuantee Zhu said. "It was a hard hit to overcome, but fortunately we had a really good freshman join the team this year."
In the early rounds, the sabre squad faced a familiar team in UMass, a team it had previously beaten in the New England Intercollegiate Fencing Conference regular season. But the Minutemen got revenge in Chicago, besting Tufts.
"UMass fenced especially well that day," Zhu said. "We had beat them in the past, but we were not able to do so this time."
While some people might view traveling out of the friendly confines of New England a challenge, the team saw it as an advantage.
"Normally, our competitions begin at 8 a.m. in places like Amherst, so we are used to getting up early," Zhu added. "Our pregame routine was actually easier at Nationals because we had hotels and did not need to drive over early."
While the Tufts men's fencing team does not enjoy the same varsity status as the women's team, the two squads still support each other regularly. Both fencing teams share coaching, hints and sometimes even practice times.
"The relationship between the men and women is strong," Zhu said. "Normally, practices are separated, with girls in mornings and guys at night, except for Friday, where we can compete with whoever. While the styles of men and women are different, practicing against each other helps holistically."
Coed practices also break up the monotony of training.
"The guys' team is a fun and eccentric bunch," freshman sabre team member Julia Hisey said. "In practice, they occasionally try out other weapons to keep things light."
Tufts will be losing some important senior contributors next year. Senior tri−captain Eric Berg will leave a big hole to fill on the foil team. Also, the graduations of fellow tri−captain Huy Ngu and Brian Agler from the epee team will leave voids in the team's roster.
Fortunately for Tufts, Mike Eskin, the former school coach at Dana Hall School in Wellesley, Mass., with more than a decade of fencing experience, has brought new knowledge to the men's team this season.
"He has been incredibly valuable this season, between help with running practices and giving out advice," Zhu said. "We definitely pulled off some victories that would not have been possible without him."
