Men’s and women’s fencing had excellent 5-1 and 6-1 runs respectively in their first two tournaments to start the new year, dominating at the Tiger Invitational and the St. John’s Super Cup.

Both teams went undefeated at the Jan. 14 Tiger Invitational with strong wins over Ivy League rivals Cornell and Princeton and crushing victories by at least 10 bouts over New Jersey Institute of Technology.

At the St. John’s Super Cup on Sunday, each team went 3-1, both falling to the University of Notre Dame, nationally ranked No. 1 for men and No. 2 for women. Nevertheless, the Lions defeated conference rival Harvard, as well as Ohio State University and St. John’s University.

The women’s squad faced off against Cornell in the first match of the invitational. The Lions clinched a 17-10 win with a particularly strong 8-1 record from the épée squad, highlighted by undefeated performances from senior épéeist Mina Yamanaka and first-year épéeist Sophia Jakel. The foil and sabre squads both went 5-4, clinching their respective bouts and winning the match.

The men’s and women’s squads faced off against New Jersey Institute of Technology and emerged with a commanding victory in the second matchup. A standout 8-1 performance from the sabre squad led the men’s 20-7 win, supported by undefeated 3-0 runs from both senior Jackson McBride and first-year Will Morrill.

Foil came close to the sabre result with a 7-2 performance, helped by an undefeated performance from senior Zachary Zusin. Épée won with a close 5-4 bout to help secure the victory.

The women’s squad dominated with a record of 25-2. The sabre squad, composed of first-year Janna Freedman, senior Charlotte Depew, and first-year Meagan Yao Co Say, had a 9-0 record, while the épée squad and the foil squad both had excellent 8-1 runs. On the épée squad, sophomore Janet Chen went undefeated with a 3-0 run. Continuing this success, juniors Sofia Gaydos and Alanna Xue on the foil squad clinched the win with undefeated records.

In the third and final matchup of the Tiger Invitational, the men’s and women’s teams emerged victorious over Ancient Eight rival Princeton. The men had a record of 15-12, with the épée squad losing 5-4. The foil team made up the lost ground with a highly contested 5-4 win.

With the score tied between épée and foil, the sabre squad’s 6-3 performance clinched the victory, with Morrill having another undefeated performance.

The women’s squad had an 18-9 victory to secure the joint undefeated run. The sabre squad was defeated in a 5-4 match, but the épée squad won a close 5-4 match, largely thanks to an undefeated performance from junior Tierna Oxenreider. The foil squad, composed of Gaydos, junior Evelyn Cheng, and first-year Rachael Kim, had a commanding undefeated performance to seal the overall victory.

Returning back across the Hudson, the Lions continued their success at the St. John’s Super Cup, improving their season records to an impressive 16-1 for the women’s team and 14-2 for the men’s team.

In the opening match of the day, both teams secured dominant 15-12 wins over No. 1 Harvard. While the men’s sabre squad faced a tight 4-5 defeat, the foil and épée teams each delivered strong performances with respective 6-3 and 5-4 records, securing the points needed for the overall victory.

Senior Justin Haddad and sophomore Marsel Nagimov had standout performances in épée and foil, respectively, shutting out their opponents and each earning 3 points in their bouts.

All three women’s squads delivered impressive performances against the Crimson. The sabre team lost 3-6, followed by a hard-fought 5-4 victory from the foil team. The épée squad shone brightest, limiting their opponents to just 2 points while securing 7, sealing the overall team triumph.

In their second matchup of the tournament, the men’s squad clinched another 15-12 victory, this time against Ohio State. Despite a close 5-4 loss in the épée category, strong performances from the foil and sabre squads—with respective 6-3 and 5-4 records—led to an overall win.

On the women’s side, the Lions claimed an 18-9 victory over the Buckeyes. The sabre squad set the pace by winning six of nine bouts, followed by a tight 5-4 win from the foil team. The épée squad capped off the performance with a dominant 7-2 showing to secure the win.

The Lions returned to the strip to face off against one of their toughest opponents of the night, Notre Dame. The men’s sabre squad had a slow start against the Fighting Irish, losing the first bout of their match 5-3, but they quickly recovered to win the next two bouts consecutively.

Notre Dame fought back, taking three bouts from the Lions and bringing the score to 4-2. Despite their best attempts, the sabre squad was unable to recover and lost the match with a nail-biting 5-4 record.

The men’s foil team had a stronger start against the Fighting Irish, winning its first two bouts. The Lions remained dominant throughout the match despite dropping two bouts to Notre Dame’s Chase Emmer. Senior Zachary Binder won the match for the Lions with a 5-2 win in the seventh bout of the match, securing the Lion’s 6-3 win.

Men’s épée started off its match with a 5-3 win from Haddad. However, the Lions were unable to maintain their lead against Notre Dame and lost the next three bouts of the match. While the Lions fought back to win two more bouts, they ultimately failed to recover, losing 6-3 as the Light Blue lost 14-13 overall.

The women’s sabre team struggled against the Fighting Irish, losing the first five bouts. The Lions briefly recovered with a 5-2 bout victory by senior Chloe Gouhin, but the match ultimately ended 8-1 in Notre Dame’s favor.

The women’s foil squad had a difficult start against Notre Dame as well, with junior Zander Rhodes losing a close 5-4 bout. However, the Lions bounced back, winning the next seven consecutive bouts.

Women’s épée began the match with a difficult 5-1 loss but recovered quickly, fighting back to win the next four bouts before Notre Dame won three more. With both teams tied at 4-4, the Lions fell in a difficult final bout, losing 15-12 to Notre Dame overall.

For their final match of the night, the Lions competed against St. John’s University. The men’s sabre squad started the Light Blue off strong and was able to gain a lead against St. John’s, ending the match with a tight 5-4 victory.

The men’s foil squad dominated in its match against the hosts, seeing junior Bogdan Hamilton secure a Columbia victory early on with a 5-3 win in the fifth bout of the match.

Men’s épée continued the momentum, securing an early victory against St. John’s with a 5-3 win from Haddad in the sixth bout. The Lions maintained their lead, ending the match with a score of 6-3 and a 16-11 overall victory.

The women’s sabre team had a difficult start against St. John’s, losing the first two consecutive bouts of the match before fighting back and tying the score at 2-2. Unfortunately for the Lions, the match ended with a 6-3 defeat.

Women’s foil fared better, continuing its pattern of domination to win their match against St. John’s 8-1.

The women’s épée team started off slow against St. John’s and lost its first two bouts. However, they recovered to tie the score 3-3, then gained the lead against St. John’s with a nail-biting 5-4 victory from Jakel and ended the match with a 5-4 win. Overall, the Lions defeated St. John’s 16-11.

The Lions will return to the strip Sunday at 9:45 a.m. at Pennsylvania State University for the Penn State Invitational.