Acorn

The lady Rangers? fencing team had a strong performance last weekend at Temple University and leading the team to victory, as she has all season, was sophomore captain Brenna Rabel. Battling through stomach illness and dehydration, Rabel managed to finish all her bouts with a 10-1 record. Her illness prohibited her from eating so she had to tough it out the entire day.

?[My] coach subbed me out of some trivial bouts so I could rest for the important ones,? Rabel said. ?But I still don?t know how I managed to fence the whole day. I don?t think being sick made me fence better, but I had to be tougher.?

Her work ethic and ability to overcome obstacles rubbed off on her teammates as they dramatically improved their overall record. The Rangers went 5-1 in the meet, defeating James Madison University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Farleigh Dickinson University-Teaneck, Army and John?s Hopkins University. They suffered their only loss to Temple, a highly ranked opponent. This improved their overall record to 11-9.

Rabel has been the anchor of the epee squad and Head Coach Dayn DeRose was not surprised by her consistent performance even during trying circumstances.

?[Rabel] is a hardworking, dependable and outstanding fencer,? DeRose said. ?She can handle anyone in the region, and Temple is scared of her now.?

There are several aspects of Rabel?s fencing that make her successful, but DeRose said it boils down to one important detail.

?She just wins,? DeRose said. ?[Rabel] is very persistent, constantly working to figure her opponent out and is not overly aggressive.?

Although Rabel is only a sophomore, she already holds the team captain position. Rabel came to Drew as a high school state champion, but both she and her coach knew there were aspects of her fencing that could improve. Those improvements have come quickly, and they have shown to be effective.

?It doesn?t matter what age you are, you just need to get the job done, and she does,? DeRose said. ?She?s very responsible, unusually mature and does her job well to help everyone else on the team.?

The individual aspect of the sport has no effect on her ability to lead the team. ?I really enjoy being team captain, even though it can be stressful,? Rabel said. ?We practice together and support each other in competition.?

Rabel is a leader by example, but she knows her coach would love her to be a more vocal presence on the team. ?Coach could go on for a day and a half about how I need to become more confrontational,? Rabel said.

There are only two more weeks until the National Intercollegiate Women?s Fencing Association (NIWFA) championships, and the postseason is closing in on the Rangers. There next competition is the EWFC meet on Sunday where the team and Rabel will look to continue their winning ways. Rabel has high hopes for the rest of the season and does not want to settle on what she has already accomplished this season.

?I want the women to place in the top two at NIWFA,? Rabel said. ?Individually, I would like to qualify for the NCAA championships.?

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