Acorn

The men?s and women?s fencing teams are on a roll. With successful bouts at the Drew Invitational and the Temple Meet last weekend, they show once again why they are a winning team. Competing against some of the nation?s best-ranked teams, the Rangers held their own and continued on their quest to the NCAA Finals.

The Rangers contended against a competitive group of teams, including the United States Military Academy, Division I New Jersey Institute of Technology and Farleigh Dickinson University-Teaneck. According to Head Coach Dayn DeRose, both teams were ready for their opposition and gave impressive bouts.

He specifically noted Farleigh Dickinson University?s women?s team, which rebounded from a weak start.

The Rangers were ready for a newly fired-up FDU and easily defeated them 19-8, DeRose said.

Sophomore Brenna Rabel was fighting the stomach flu and could barely stand up, yet she refused to sit out and finished with a ?masterful performance,? DeRose said. He also praised Emma Nostrand, who experimented with new techniques, which he believes will add to her competitiveness on a national level.

One of the highlights of the season so far was the competition against Temple, DeRose said. Temple is an extremely competitive team with experience that outweighs the Rangers.

Yet, earlier this season, the Rangers inched up to Temple?s level and narrowly lost 15-12. ?This performance was amazing,? DeRose said. ?We were able build up our intensity and came so close to winning. It was definitely a mark of our strength and heart.?

The women next compete in the Eastern Women?s Fencing Conference, and will go up against schools such as Haverford, Stevens and Yeshiva. He cites their chief competition as Tufts and Temple.

Although they are a young team, DeRose believes they have recently come into their own, taking second place overall in the NIWFA.

He is equally proud of the men. DeRose expects their upcoming round robin to show more tension. Their opposition will include John Hopkins, Stevens and NJIT. Throughout the past 10 years, Drew has developed a ?good-natured rivalry? with John Hopkins, as well as Haverford, and Drew?s competition against John Hopkins will be pivotal to the MACFA top spot, DeRose said.

DeRose is extremely optimistic about the meets. So far, Temple is the only Drew women?s loss within the NIWFA teams. The men?s team goes into its last in-season dual meets undefeated in MACFA.

DeRose cites the men?s record of 8-6 and women?s 11-9 as testament to their hard work. He attributes their competitiveness to their schedule, which he describes as the toughest in Drew history. He has witnessed firsthand their commitment to success.

?We compete against top teams, teams such as Columbia, Duke and Penn State that nobody believes we have a chance to win against,? DeRose said. ?Yet, we continue to challange these teams. We are ready for anything that comes our way, no matter the circumstances.?

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