“It was a really huge achievement and I was really happy to be a part of it. It was so much fun being there for the whole experience,” Cross said.

Co-captain Chloe Stinetorf also notes Emily’s strength as a teammate.

“She’s a really big team player,” Stinetorf said. “She doesn’t make her own personal successes what it’s about. When she’s with the team, it’s about the team.”

Cross admits that prior to coming to Harvard, she was anxious as to whether or not she would get the amount of practice time she needed. Despite not putting in as many hours as she has in the past, however, the team atmosphere and training style has compensated for the loss in time and also contributed greatly to her success.

“I didn’t practice as much as I did at home, but practice is a lot more motivating when it’s with a lot of people you have fun with and get along with,” Cross said. “Everyone is working towards the same goals, and everyone works harder in a more concentrated period of time.”

With much more at stake for next year’s season and seemingly higher pressures for Cross in the years to come, she remains calm.

“It’s a whole new season next year,” said Cross. “There’s another Ivy League, IFA, and NCAA title for the team to win. We start over with a new slate. I just want to keep on doing what I’m doing and see how it works out.”

Brand remains confident that if she does continue to do what she has been doing, her future will be bright.

“There is no doubt that she will remain the best collegiate fencer in the country,” he said. “If she does what she did this year over the next three years, she’ll make the 2008 Olympic team.”

But for now, this rookie will soon say goodbye to the junior circuit and focus on her collegiate and senior career, where, at least on paper, she remains one of the best fencers in the United States on both levels—a rare breed, indeed.

—Staff writer Samantha A. Papadakis can be reached at spapadak@fas.harvard.edu.