(Hoboken, NJ) - Sophomore Morgan Barany (Hollywood, FL/Hillel) and senior Steven Lerner (Quebec, Canada/Academie Hebraique) went undefeated in Sabre and Epee, respectively, as the Yeshiva University Men's Fencing team captured its second win of the 2007-08 season, a 15-12 triumph over the New Jersey Institute of Technology during the final round of the Stevens Institute of Technology Invitational on Sunday, Dec. 2. With the win, the Maccabees finished the day with a 1-2 record after falling to powerhouses Stevens and Johns Hopkins earlier in the day.
Against Stevens, Sabre proved to be the Maccabees' top weapon as Yeshiva fenced competitively during a 7-2 loss. Yeshiva sophomore Jason Wininger (East Brunswick, NJ/Hun School) scored a 5-0 win during his first bout, and Barany won for the first time of the day, a 5-1 win in the second round. The Maccabees suffered an 8-1 win at Epee, but Lerner turned in a fine performance during a 5-3 win in the third round. Stevens swept the Foil competition for a 24-3 win.
The Maccabees' match with Johns Hopkins proved to be a challenge as the nationally ranked Blue Jays won 26-1. Yeshiva's lone win was a 5-3 win by sophomore Michael Young (Baltimore, MD/Yeshiva Rambam of Baltimore). During the match with Hopkins, Lerner and senior Perry Fox (Elizabeth, NJ/KYHS) turned in outstanding performances, taking their opponents to the final point both times.
Losing to Stevens and Johns Hopkins set the stage for perhaps Yeshiva's finest effort of the season as they fell behind 6-3 after Foil competition to win 13 of the next 15 bouts to secure their second win of the year. Yeshiva was an 8-1 winner in Sabre as Barany won all three of his matches, as was sophomore Adam James Friedman (Ellington, CT/Ellington HS). Wininger also turned in an outstanding performance, winning two out of his three matches. Epee competition proved to be a battle as NJIT scored a 5-4 win during which three bouts produced 5-4 finishes. Lerner went undefeated, and Young also picked up a victory for YU.
With the tournament behind them, Yeshiva is now 2-5 for the 2007-08 season. The Maccabees return to competition on Sunday, Dec. 9 when they travel to the Sacred Heart University Invitational for a 10:00 a.m. start.
