The fencing team has achieved remarkable success as a whole over the course of this winter season, but the Junior Olympics in Cleveland, Oh., gave several fencers a chance to prove themselves on an individual level, and a few did so in stunning fashion.
Sophomores Nic Testerman and Dorothy Hubbard led the way, as both finished in the top 10 in the men's and women's epee competitions, placing third and eighth, respectively. Freshmen Anne Kercsmar and Theodore Lauzen also had success in the epee, with Kercsmar finishing 17th and Lauzen ending up 107th. Freshman Ibtihaj Muhammad, Duke's lone competitor in the women's saber, wound up in 21st, and fellow classmate Ben Hendricks finished 40th out of 236 competitors in the men's foil.
"(Nic) has fenced very well so far this season, but he has had a wrist injury, he just missed the world team," coach Alex Beguinet said. Nic's perfectionist side was revealed in response to his effort this past weekend, stating, "Overall I thought my result was respectable, but I was not pleased with third. I was fencing really well all day until I got [to] the finals. My injuries caught up to me and I was not able to fence up to my full potential."
Hubbard was indefatigable despite the long wait between every match, and she credits Beguinet with keeping her focused.
"These tournaments are very long, so it is sometimes hard to remain consistent throughout the day," Hubbard said. "Every time I ran into a problem, [Beguinet] was right there coaching me and helping me to do what I have trained to do."
Muhammad had a strong Junior Olympics for the second year in a row, and she felt that her performance this year should be credited to the team chemistry.
"It was a little awkward being without the entire team for the weekend," Muhammad said. "Without the diligent effort put forth by the team in our strenuous practices, I don't feel that I would have been as successful as I was this past weekend."
The team will look to continue its strong season in a dual meet against Harvard, Princeton and Yale in Princeton, N.J., February 21st.
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