Jousting into prominence

Behind a young and talented women's squad (15-2, 5-0 Ivy League) and a veteran men's team (12-3, 4-0 Ivy), Princeton fencing finished off a successful season as the No. 5 team in the nation. Both teams also boasted undefeated Ivy League records, granting them the league's 1999-2000 championship. The feat gave the women's team its first outright title in Princeton history and the men's team its 11th overall championship.

The women's team had an exceptional turnout at the national level, as well. Eva Petschnigg '03 claimed the foil title, giving the Princeton women's program its first individual championship, while fellow foiler Mindy Rostal '03 finished in ninth place.

Lindsay Campbell '02 ended the season with a sixth-place finish in epee competition with classmate Maya Lawrence not far behind in eighth place.

Alexa Chew '01 received 20th place and Ibby Caputo '03 took 22nd in the first year of official NCAA competition for the sabre weapon.

Battling for the nation's top spots in men's competition were Jason Burrell '00, who finished sixth in epee by winning 17 bouts, and Steven Wang '00, who took 19th place.

All this did not come easily for the men's and women's fencing teams. Only after a long season of work and dedication were they able to finish so strongly.

In Chapel Hill, N.C., Dec. 4-5, the men's team went 4-2 on the weekend, falling only a couple bouts short of beating Penn State and Rutgers in the first dual meet of the year. Likewise, the women's squad went 4-2, losing only to the perenially strong scholarship schools — Penn State and Northwestern.

Rout

The women's team moved on to handle the City College of New York on home turf Jan. 8, going undefeated in both sabre and foil competition.

The Tigers then hit the road once again Jan. 30 to take on Vassar, Army, Stevens Tech and Brown. The women earned a pair of victories as they easily defeated the competition from Brown and Vassar, 16-11 and 22-5, respectively. The men won all four of their matches, beating both Army and Brown, 20-7, as well as Vassar and Stevens Tech, each by the score of 25-2.

The women's squad continued its winning streak when it faced Ivy rival Columbia and a strong St. John's team. Both the men's and the women's teams had little difficulty overcoming the Lions on Feb. 5. The Red Storm, on the other hand, posed more of a challenge for the Tigers. While the women's team managed a close 14-13 victory, the men's team fell to St. John's by one bout.

The Tigers then returned home to Jadwin Gym on Feb. 16 for more Ivy League action. Defeating Penn, 17-10, the Tigers set a record for the women as they earned their 13th win of the season.

After sweeping Yale and Harvard on Feb. 26, both the men's and women's teams claimed Ivy crowns. Competing in New Haven, Conn., March 4-5, the Tigers added to their list of accolades as they brought home their second consecutive six-weapon title from the Intercollegiate Fencing Association Championship.

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Qualifying the maximum number of fencers for nationals, the Tigers headed to NCAAs in Palo Alto, Ca., with a full slate. Once there, Perschnigg, Rostal, Burrell and Wang showed the nation what the Ivy League already knew: Princeton fencing is a force to be reckoned with.