The Justice

Epée Damien Lefheldt '09, left, strikes a New York University player as he also gets hit in the men's team's 16-11 loss to the Violets last Saturday. Sara Brandenburg/the Justice

Rookie epée Emma Larkin '11 arrived at last Saturday's Brandeis and Massachusetts Institute of Technology Invitational weakened by a nasty stomach virus, but that didn't stop her from playing a major role in a key victory for the women's fencing team.

With the score tied at 13 in the Judges' match against University Athletic Association rival New York University, Larkin won the decisive bout 5-2 to give the Judges a 14-13 win in their only scheduled meeting against NYU this season. The win, combined with a 19-8 victory over Haverford College and a 16-11 victory over the U.S. Air Force Academy gave the Judges a 3-0 record on the day and improved their overall record to 15-5 this season.

"I just pushed through it," Larkin said of her illness. "I drank a lot of water and ate a lot ice chips and Saltines. I just stuck to simple actions."

Meanwhile, the men's team dropped just their second match of the season, losing 16-11 to NYU. They are now 16-2 this season after an 18-9 win over Haverford and a 16-11 win over Air Force.

The women's team's match against NYU was sharply contested. The Judges won 5-4 in saber, led by two wins apiece from Olivia Etkind '11 and Kiersten Heinz '09, but uncharacteristically fell 5-4 in foil. The match came down to the epée squads, and after the two teams split the first eight bouts, Larkin clinched the victory, winning her third straight individual bout to give the Judges a win over the Violets for the third consecutive season.

"She's been sick all morning, running back and forth between bouts, and yet she won the winning bout," foil Jessica Newhall '09 said of Larkin last Saturday. "She just came through and she was definitely the hero today."

The foil squad made up for lackluster efforts in saber and epée during the other two matches, going 9-0 and 7-2 in leading the Judges to sound victories over Haverford and Air Force, respectively. Newhall, one of last week's UAA Players of the Week, won all three of her bouts against Haverford, and the Judges demonstrated their depth at the position against Air Force, getting three wins from Jessica Davis-Heim '09 and two apiece from Tess Woehrlen '09 and captain Stefanie Aucoin '08.

Continued...

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