The ACC championship was not the only battle the Boston College Eagles faced Saturday. The BC men's and women's fencing teams, spearheaded by coach Syd Fadner, traveled to the Brandeis University Invitational in hopes of defeating some of the strongest teams in college fencing - Yale, St. John's, Brown, Cornell, and Tufts University. Starting off with their first match against St. John's University of Queens, N.Y., BC suffered a defeat, with a final outcome of 9-18 on the men's side and 7-20 on the women's side. Remaining composed and confident, the Eagles took on Brown University, an unceasing rival. The BC men's team captured a solid win with a score of 16-11. The women were not as fortunate, with a defeat of 8-19, but relentlessly fought to acquire a win against the remaining teams left to encounter.
With no men's team from Cornell University, the BC men were given a break, as the women's team competed. The women lost a hard-fought match by only one point, resulting in a score of 13-14. Next up for both the women and men was Yale University. As each team held their breath for a win, BC suffered yet another difficult and narrow defeat of 13-14 on both the women's and men's sides. Coach Syd Fadner, who is in the midst of her 17th season at BC, said, "The Brandeis Invitational with its three 13-14 losses was disappointing, but what's exciting is that we can see how strong a team like this will be when all of our squads gain a bit of experience and consistency."
Sean Hickey, captain of the men's team, said the tournament was bittersweet overall, due to the fact that they were so close to beating Yale University. Although there was significant disappointment with the loss to Yale, the victory over Brown University was rewarding. "We were enthusiastic about beating Brown. Going into this tournament, it was our goal for today," Hickey said.
Although the day had come to a close for the men's team, the women were still left to face off with Tufts University. Starting off strong and maintaining that strength throughout the match, the BC women finally grasped a firm hold on a 17-10 victory against Tufts.
2008 Woodie Awards
