After running the table to start the year going 6-0, the Hopkins men’s fencing team defeated MIT (16-11) and Boston College (15-12), and lost to Yale (15-12), Brown (17-10), and host Brandeis (17-10) on Sunday at the Brandeis Invitational. The squad’s overall record now stands at 8-3. Two standouts emerged for the squad as freshmen John Petrie and Josiah Yiu paced the Jays with 10 wins each in Foil and Sabre, respectively.
The tournament opened with a gut-wrenching 15-12 loss to Yale as the Bulldogs would go on to win both Foil and Épée. However, the Blue Jays defeated the Bulldogs 5-4 in Sabre, with Yiu pacing the squad in all three bouts. Sophomore Aravind Menon secured the victory with his win in the ninth and final bout. Yale earned the overall win in Épée (6-3) and in Foil (5-4).
Hopkins would then go on to beat MIT with help from victories in Sabre (5-4) and Foil (8-1). Yiu and Menon each won two bouts, with Menon winning the ninth and final match against the Engineers. Petrie and classmate Glenn Balbus would then combine for six wins to take home the Foil weapon section. MIT won Épée 6-3, but the Jays needed just two wins in the weapon to take home the win.
Hopkins kept the momentum, beating Boston College with wins in Sabre (6-3) and Foil (6-3). Yiu continued his dominance as he went unbeaten in the round while his teammate Menon won two of three bouts as the Jays would steal Sabre. Hopkins’ win in Foil was actualized by all three fencers, Balbus, Petrie and junior Evan Stafford, winning two bouts apiece. Two wins from freshmen Mark Zimmerman (2-1) and Andy Huang (1-2) were all the Jays needed to come away with the victory.
Hopkins, however, ran into a brick wall as Brown swept all three weapons to defeat Hopkins in the fourth round of the tournament. Brown would clinch with a tight win in Épée; two wins by Zimmerman and one each for Huang and junior Jay DeYoung for Hopkins was not enough.
Hopkins would finish the day playing host Brandeis. Brandeis took Sabre (6-3) and Épée (7-2), while the Jays won Foil behind two wins apiece from Stafford and Balbus.
On the day, Yiu finished with a 10-2 record to improve to 22-5 overall on Sabre. Petrie would also come away with ten victories, shifting his Foil record to 27-8. Épée was paced by Zimmerman with nine wins as he improved to 31-9 record in the weapon.
Hopkins won’t return to action until the last week in January at the Philly Invitational.
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