The men's fencing team has always been able to compete with Division I squads, but it did much more than that by winning six of seven matches this week. After opening the week last Wednedsay with a 3-0 record at the Beanpot Tournament, which included its first win over fencing powerhouse Harvard University since 1998, the men's team went 2-1 against Division I opponents at the Brandeis Invitational last Saturday, defeating Brown University 17-10 and Yale University 14-13 while losing to St. John's College 18-9. The Judges are now 10-1 on the season.

Meanwhile, the women's team went 2-3 at the Brandeis Invitational and 2-1 at the Beanpot Tournament, and now stands at 9-4 on the season.

"I was really impressed with our performance [this week]," coach Bill Shipman said. "We need a little bit better focus in epée, mostly on the women's team, [and] both teams really [need work] in saber, but overall I was quite pleased with the general performance."

The men's closest match last Saturday was against Yale, as the score was tied at 12 with three epée matches left. After Damien Lehfeldt '09 won his five-touch bout to give the Judges a 13-12 advantage, Will Bedor '10 took a 2-0 lead in his match but dropped the next two points.

Shipman called timeout and told Bedor to try to make two moves instead of just one. The strategy paid off, as Bedor won the next three points to take the bout 5-2 and clinch the Judges' victory.

"When [Bedor] won that bout, it was one of those things that you're happy to be on a team," foil and captain Eugene Vortsman '08 said. "So everyone comes together and helps each other out."

Although the epée team clinched the victory, the Judges' saber squad performed the strongest in the Yale match.

Led by rookie Adam Austin's '11 3-0 record, the Judges' sabers won six of their nine bouts, which counteracted the foil team's 3-6 record in the match.

The saber team also led the way in the Judges' 17-10 win over Brown earlier in the day, winning eight of nine bouts. Foil Will Friedman '09 said the victory over Brown was especially sweet.

"We take a particular pleasure at [beating Brown]," he said. "There are some fencers on their team who are not the nicest people in the world, so it's a little bit personal."

Even with the earlier wins, the Judges showed they still have a ways to go if they want to beat St. John's, which is consistently one of the top teams in the nation.

The Judges fell 18-9, and three of their victories came when St. John's forfeited three epée matches.

The Brandeis Invitational preceded the team's 14-13 win over Ivy League champion Harvard University last Wednesday, which was arguably one of biggest wins in school history for the men's team. The match was very tight across all weapons, but the Judges won on the strength of their foil and epée teams, which each won five of nine bouts.

Saber Naveen George '10 won all three of his bouts, while epées Bedor and Andrew Travis '10 each won two of their three bouts.

"It's always a big deal for Brandeis to beat Harvard in any sport, so we feel privileged to be able to do that," Shipman said. "[Our fencers] came through in the clutch; it was great to see them really come through under pressure there."

The Judges also beat the Massachusetts Institute of Technology 19-8 and Boston College 18-9 at the Beanpot Tournament.

On the women's side, the Judges' two wins at the Brandeis Invitational came against Tufts University 16-11 and Yale 15-12. It was the Judges' first win against Yale in three seasons.

The foil team led the way in both wins, going 7-2 against Tufts and 8-1 against Yale. Captain Stefanie Aucoin had a 6-3 record on the day, and fellow foil Jessica Newhall '09 was 6-4.

The rest of the tournament was a struggle for the Judges, however, as they dropped 15-12 matches to Brown and Cornell University, and also fell 19-8 to St. John's. Aucoin said the loss to Cornell, which occurred right after the lunch break, was particularly disappointing.

"Cornell was a little bit of an upset," she said. "We somehow lost our focus during our break for lunch; it's happened before."

In last Wednesday's Beanpot Tournament, the women's team beat Boston College 19-8 and MIT 15-12, but unlike the men's squad, they were blown out by Harvard 23-4. In winning, the Crimson swept the nine foil matches.

The women next play at Wellesley College Jan. 23, and both squads will play at the next Northeast Conference Meet at Boston College Jan. 26.