Feb. 11, 2007

FAIRFIELD, CT - In a fantastic finish to the dual meet season, the women's fencing team posted a 6-2 record, including first ever wins over Wellesley and Rutgers. The weekend started off on Saturday at Tufts where the team defeated Wellesley 15-12, Smith 20-7, Boston University19-8, UMASS 17-10, and University of New Hampshire 16-11. Only a hard fought 15-12 loss to Tufts kept the day from being a perfect 6-0 sweep for the Pioneers.

"We were only two touches away from beating Tufts" comments head coach Dr. Tom Vrabel. "The epee squad put it all together today and really asserted themselves. It was great to see how all their hard work is now coming through with wins."

Led by Ali Roach's 12-5 performance, the epee squad posted a 37-17 record for the day. Also having breakout performances were Catie Sagevick (11-6), Mary Dannegger (7-3) and Nicole Vesey (7-3). The saber squad also excelled with a 37-17 record. Leading the way as usual was Krista Bacci who went 17-1.

"Krista is having an incredible freshman year" reports coach Vrabel. "Her poise and confidence remind me so much of Amanda Pape on the Basketball court. She is a gamer that just refuses to lose."

Stellar performances were also put in by saberist team captain Liz Mordecai and freshman foilist Chloe Krueger who posted similar 12-6 records. The women's team finished the New England Fencing Conference with a 6-5 mark. Krista Bacci was 28-5 in league play and has a great chance to earn first team all league honors.

The women's team finished their dual meet season on Sunday at St.John's by defeating Rutgers 13-9 while losing to highly ranked St. John's 22-5.

"This was a great finish to the season for this freshmen led team" said Coach Vrabel. "I would never have thought at the beginning of the year that the team would have matured so quickly that we would beat quality programs like Wellesley and Rutgers this year".

The fencers have been truly amazing. The saber was as usual the strength of the squad, going 10-8 on the day.

"All three of our saber fencers have qualified for the NCAA regionals (Bacci, Mordecai and Perlee). Krista Bacci finished the year with a 51-24 record and should receive a high seed in the NCAA regional tournament. She is the team's best bet for advancing to the NCAA national championship field."

The team will be back in action on February 24 at MIT for their league championship tournament.