Senior Halli Melnitsky leads Fencing Fords at Brandeis Invitational

WALTHAM, Mass. - The Haverford men's and Women's Fencing teams competed at the Brandeis/MIT invitational this past Saturday at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass. They faced another series of top-notch opponents, including the Air Force Academy, Brandeis, Boston College, MIT, and NYU. Although the Fords struggled as a team against deeper opponents, the day was marked by several stellar individual performances, especially on the women's side. In a narrow loss to Boston College, 14-13, the Fords were led by senior Halli Melnitsky in saber and sophomore Emma Buckingham in Epee. Melnitsky continues to lead by example, posting a record of 14-1 on the day- the best of any competitor from any team at the women's competition. Buckingham, the 2007 NIWFA Christmas Invitational Champion, continued her winning ways with a record of 12-3. Her run of victories included going 3-0 against Air Force, which is a Nationaly Designated Olympic Training Center for epee and considered one of the strongest programs in the country in that weapon. Freshman foilist Amanda Levinson posted a strong 7-8 record. As the young foil squad continues to improve, the Haverford women's fencing team looks to finish the season on a serious upswing as the season winds up over the next few weekends. On the men's side, the Fords were led by sophomore saberist Jared Forbus, who posted a 9-4 record, despite an ankle injury. The men's performance was still a bit marred by inconsistency, as several close bouts slipped away at the 4-4 mark. Junior Brian Wexler bucked that trend with a 5-4 victory over Brandeis' NCAA National Finalist Will Friedman, and freshman epeeist Remy Olson (7-8) and junior foilist Max Rosen-Long (6-7) stabilized the 'Fords with consistent performances. Once the men's team manages to all fence well in the same match, they will be able to defeat opponents at this high level of competition. Men's Brandeis18, Haverford 9 (S, 5-4; F, 7-2; E, 6-3) Air Force 18, Haverford 9 (S, 4-5; F, 6-3; E, 8-1) BC 15, Haverford 12 (S, 6-3; F, 5-4; E, 4-5) MIT 16, Haverford 11 (S, 5-4; F, 4-5; E, 7-2) NYU 17, Haverford 10 (S, 4-5; F, 7-2; E, 6-3) Women's Brandeis19, Haverford 8 (S, 6-3; F, 9-0; E, 4-5) Air Force 15, Haverford 12 (S, 5-4; F, 4-5; E, 6-3) BC 14, Haverford 13 (S, 3-6; F, 7-2; E, 4-5) MIT 18, Haverford 9 (S, 5-4; F, 6-3; E, 7-2) NYU 18, Haverford 9 (S, 5-4; F, 8-1; E, 5-4)