Unsurprisingly, co-captain Adrienne Jarocki was at the front of the pack of Harvard fencers, finishing with a second-place mark thanks to a 9-2 final pool play record. St. Johns fencer Karolina Cieslar snagged the top spot after defeating Jarocki, 5-2, in a direct elimination bout after both fencers finished with nine wins in the final pool.
Sophomore Gabby Tartakovsky improved upon a 10th-place finish at last year’s regionals by fencing her way to the seventh spot, while freshman Marta Lasota finished 10th.
On the foil side, senior Hali Nelson turned in her best NCAA regional performance yet, winning eight bouts in the final pool play round to earn fourth place in the event. Junior Mackenzie Lawrence was not far behind with a sixth-place finish.
The two Crimson epee fencers—sophomores Sharon Ra and Shawn Wallace—finished ninth and 15th, respectively.
With the NCAA championships in South Bend, Ind., home of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, the ninth-ranked Crimson team has its work cut out if it hopes to dethrone any of the nation’s best for the national team title.
“It’s helpful to remember that each bout counts for the team,” Yamin said. “It’s so many bouts against the best fencers in the country, one right after the other. No matter what happens in each one, you have to drop it and prepare for the next one.”
—Staff writer Caleb Y. Lee can be reached at caleb.lee@thecrimson.com.