PHILADELPHIA — The Columbia fencing team started the 2024-25 season off with a combined 13-1 effort at the Elite Invitational on November 16-17. The women went undefeated at 7-0, while the men were 6-1 after falling in the final dual matchup of the event.
 
Individually for the men, Nick Harvey (sabre) and Ethan Kushnerik (epee) each went 13-5. Enoch Xiao (11-1) and Marsel Nagimov (10-2) made a strong impact in foil. On the women's side, first-year Janna Freedman posted a 13-5 mark in epee. Evelyn Cheng (12-3), Carolina Stuchbury (10-2) and Vivian Zheng (11-1) had standout performances in foil. Newcomers Sophia Jakel (12-4), Sumin Lee (12-2), Janet Chen (10-2), along with junior Tierna Oxenreider (10-2) shined in epee.
 
"We were one touch shy of going undefeated, but those single-touch wins carried us to victory this weekend," head coach Michael Aufrichtig said. "We battled for each one today, and we'll keep fighting for every single touch all season long."
 
The women were dominant on Saturday, coasting to a 25-2 victory over Cleveland State and a 24-3 win against LIU. Foil and epee earned sweeps against Cleveland State, and foil and sabre ran the table against the Sharks to highlight the first day of competition.
 
The men only used one sabre fencer against Cleveland State, but foil went 9-0 to pick up a 17-10 triumph. Against LIU, the Lions used a full roster and coasted to a 20-7 victory.
 
Sunday started with closer results against Stanford. The men earned a 15-12 decision thanks to solid work from Marsel Nagimov in foil and Ethan Kushnerik in epee. Foil and epee each posted 7-2 marks against the Cardinal, which was the difference in an 18-9 win.
 
Foil (7-2) catapulted the men (17-10) and women (16-11) to victories over Duke in the second round of the morning. All three women's weapons were strong in a 21-6 win over North Carolina. Nagimov's 3-0 mark helped foil earn a decisive victory, pushing the men to a 14-13 win over the Tar Heels.
 
In the afternoon session, both teams picked up 18-9 victories. The women knocked off Temple, thanks in part to a 3-0 mark from Tierna Oxenreider. The men went 9-0 in foil to spearhead their win over Air Force. The women followed that up with a solid performance to take a 21-6 verdict over Ohio State. The men were narrowly edged, 14-13, by the Buckeyes in the finale despite a strong outing from foil.
 
The Lions will host their first home meet of the season on Friday, November 22, at the Columbia Invitational, when they welcome NJIT, Stevens and Johns Hopkins to the Dodge Fitness Center.
 
For the latest on Columbia's fencing programs, follow @CULionsFencing on Twitter and Instagram and the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
 
Elite Invitational – Hosted by Penn
November 16-17
Philadelphia, Pa.
 
Team Results
Men
Columbia 17, Cleveland State 10
Columbia 20, LIU 7
Columbia 15, Stanford 12
Columbia 17, Duke 10
Columbia 14, North Carolina 13
Columbia 18, Air Force 9
Columbia 13, Ohio State 14
 
Women
Columbia 25, Cleveland State 2
Columbia 24, LIU 3
Columbia 18, Stanford 9
Columbia 16, Duke 11
Columbia 21, North Carolina 6
Columbia 18, Temple 9
Columbia 21, Ohio State 6