Fencing Finishes First in Ivy League, Third in NCAA

In what was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Columbia fencing program, the Lions surpassed all expectations by running away with the Ivy League championship and a strong third-place finish at the NCAA Championships. The Light Blue also had an individual national champion in the form of sophomore Jeff Spear, who captured the crown in men's sabre.

Columbia's season began in mixed form with the men opening 2-3 and the women 4-1 at the NYU Duals. The event features some of the nation's top teams and while the men struggled against the stronger competition, the women more than held their own thanks to the influx of new fencers.

Four freshmen came in on the women's side and all had an immediate impact on the program. Nicole Ross and Abby Caparros-Janto combined as one of the most potent foil duos in the nation, while Martyna Urbanowicz added depth to the women's epee squad. Jackie Jacobson, the younger sister of former Olympian and graduating senior Emily Jacobson, competed alongside her sibling to form the nation's best women's sabre partnership, locking up the number-one and number-two seeds prior to the NCAA Championships.

Columbia then steamrolled through its Ancient Eight opposition, amassing a perfect 11-0 record—5-0 for the men, 6-0 for the women. The dual victories gave the Lions outright men's and women's titles in the same year for the first time since 2002. By dominating their Ivy foes, the Lions lost the element of surprise, as the rest of the nation took notice of Columbia.

The Lions continued their impressive winning streak by taking the team crown at the nation's oldest collegiate tournament, the Intercollegiate Fencing Association Championships. For the first time since 2003, the championships returned to New York as the Light Blue hosted 12 of the Northeast's best squads.

By virtue of their success during the regular season and a strong performance at the NCAA Regionals at Vassar College, the Lions qualified the maximum of 12 fencers for the NCAA Championships held at Ohio State. Columbia, in fact, had 16 fencers earn enough points to qualify, but only sent 12 due to NCAA regulations that limit a maximum of two fencers per discipline.

At the NCAA Championships, the women got the competition started with solid performances from the foil and sabre squads, but watched as their epee duo faltered. The Lions finished in third place after the first day, and remained in that position until the end of the competition three days later. The third-place result matched the team's highest finish, earned last year, since the NCAA expanded the field to six disciplines.
On the individual level, Spear's victory in sabre gave the Lions their second national champion in as many years after Daria Schneider's win in women's sabre in 2007.

Nicole Ross earned a bronze medal in foil, sophomore men's sabrist Kurt Getz matched his bronze-medal performance from a year ago, and Emily Jacobson finished her career with a bronze medal in women's sabre—giving her a gold, silver, and bronze medal in four years of competition.

Despite losing five seniors to graduation, the return of Schneider and Dwight Smith—who are competing for spots in the Olympics in Beijing—and the strength of the freshman class put Columbia in a positive position for future success in 2009.