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The women's fencing squad is going through a transition this year and features only five upperclassmen. In light of the squad's youth, the team is fortunate to have saberist and captain Zoe Messinger '13 on board. 
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"We're definitely going through a big transition period," said Messinger, who was named University Athletic Association Fencer of the Week for the week of Jan. 27. "My freshman and sophomore year we had a lot of upperclassmen and they graduated and we had a loss of people. This year we have a full team, which is really exciting."
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The sport of fencing is broken down into categories of weapon-saber, ?(c)p?(c)e and foil-and each weapon has different techniques for fighting. Despite being a saberist, Messinger sees herself as a mentor for the team, running practices and doling out key nuggets of wisdom to guide younger fencers to success. 
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"I don't call time-outs for other weapons, but as a captain it's my job to keep moral up," she said. "If you see someone cheering, you can fence 1000 times better."
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In addition to leading her team to an impressive 15-9 record this season, Messinger notched a personal best fifth-place finish at The Big One tournament, hosted by Smith College, this past November, earning nine wins to only one loss. In her three previous seasons at the Big One, Messinger had never placed higher than ninth.
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In Messinger's eyes, nothing has changed in her game, but rather, she is more focused this year as compared to years past. 
"I'm really driven because I was really close to making NCAA's last year and it would be such an honor to compete against the top 25 fencers in the country," she said.
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Messinger notes that her teammates possess that same intense motivation for success. "What I really see is this drive that I've never seen in the four years I've been here," she said. 
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As captain, Messinger hopes to impart lessons of camaraderie and team bonding for the underclassmen, and hopes they learn to "just be there for each other." She explained that most fencers at Brandeis did not compete on high school teams, and in her eyes, the best part of the team is the bond it creates between fencers. She also hopes that she can foster good technical skills for young fencers to harness throughout their careers.
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This year, Messinger has continued on the road to success, recording no more than three losses in any match this season, and she hopes to conclude on a high note. 
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After narrowly missing a qualifying berth in the NCAA tournament last season, she hopes to end her collegiate career with what she calls a once in a lifetime opportunity. Regardless of personal successes, Messinger is glad to serve as a mentor for a new crop of fencers and is thankful for the opportunity to teach the next generation of Judges.