The win caps off a strong fall semester for the team. After a showing at the Penn State Invitational in which every fencer advanced to the finals, Harvard shook an old curse, topping Columbia for the first time since the mid-’90s by a wide 19-8 margin.

“When I was a freshman, there was some article in the Columbia Spectator that called us the ‘doormat of Ivy League fencing,’” Stinetorf said.

“Starting with my year, the program has been on the rise,” she added. “This year is the first we have enough recruits to fill out the starting positions, and we have the best chance to win the Ivy League title.”

Stinetorf credited the victory in part to enthusiasm.

“I think the Columbia team, even though they were a very strong team, didn’t have the same level of intensity we had that day,” Stinetorf said.

Beating the Lions has also become a motivator helping to propel the rest of its season.

“We performed so well at Columbia, and we really need to do the same for the rest of the matches,” McGlade said.

The Crimson will not compete again until it takes on MIT Jan. 12 at home.