(Poughkeepsie, NY) - The final match of the day proved to be the best for the Yeshiva University Men's Fencing team on Sunday, as the Maccabees scored wins in Sabre and Epee to hold off a tenacious Marist College team, 15-12 at the Vassar College Invitational in Poughkeepsie, NY. The win allowed the Maccabees to finish 1-3 during the all-day event.

Facing fierce competition, YU opened with a 21-6 loss to Division I powerhouse Rutgers University that saw sophomore Adam Friedman (Ellington, CT/Ellington HS) score a 5-0 win at Sabre, sophomore Michael Hershkop (Ontario, Canada/Yeshivay Or Chaim) win 5-3 in Foil, and senior Stephen Lerner (Quebec, Canada/Academie Herbaique) capture three wins in Epee, while senior Dylan Kurlansky (Miami Beach, FL/Toras Chaim) also won in Epee. The next two rounds saw much of the same as Sacred Heart scored a 24-3 win over the Maccabees, while Vassar defeated YU 21-6. Against Sacred Heart, sophomore Morgan Barany (Hollywood, FL/Hillel) won at Sabre, while Lerner and sophomore Michael Young (Baltimore, MD/Yeshiva Rambam of Baltimore) both won at Epee. Against Vassar, junior Jason Wininger (East Brunswick, NJ/Hun School) was the story as he scored two wins in Sabre competition.

The losses set up a showdown with Marist as both entered the final round seeking their first wins of the day. Yeshiva stormed ahead 8-1 in Sabre match as Barany and Wininger won three times apiece, while Friedman won two out of three bouts. However, an 8-1 win by Marist in Foil evened the match heading into Epee competition. Yeshiva went 6-3 in Epee as Kurlansky and Lerner scored two wins apiece, while senior Perry Fox (Elizabeth, NJ/KYHS) also won to give the Maccabees a 15-12 edge.

Yeshiva returns to action on Sunday, Dec. 2 when they travel to the Stevens Institute of Technology Invitational.