The men's and women's fencing teams showed up ready to compete at the New England Conference on Saturday. Weapons polished and foot skills practiced, both teams stormed the competition on their way to first place finishes. The men easily finished off Boston University 25-2, University of Massachusetts 20-7 and host University of New Hampshire 26-1. The Judges were expecting tough bouts against Tufts University based on the Jumbos' previous wins over Boston College and Brown, but managed to fight their way to a convincing 18-9 victory over Tufts.

The club teams that were present at the event are traditionally unable to match Brandeis's talent. The Judges took advantage of this situation to use the tournament as a warm-up for the season as well as an introduction for the first-years to collegiate play.

Apparently, the rookies are adjusting well. The four additional men brought a depth to the team that was not present in previous years. Co-captain Benji Rostoker '05 recognizes the potential of this year's team and looks forward to the burgeoning season.

"This is the most balanced team I've fenced with since freshman year," Rostoker said. "There are no outstanding stars. If any one fencer performs poorly in a match, we can all pick up the ball and come back."

The women had an equally impressive day with wins over club teams from University of New Hampshire, 17-10; Boston University, 16-11; Smith, 17-10; and University of Massachusetts, 15-12. The Judges competed against two varsity teams-Tufts and Wellesley. Even the Judges' fiercest competition missed the mark, producing final scores of 15-12 against the Jumbos and 14-13 against the Owls.

The women do not have the luxury of a deep team like the men's squad. Numerous injuries will prove to be a challenge in the upcoming season, but the talent and hard work from the remaining women will maintain their high level of competition.

The foil squad had only two fencers compete at the New England Conference. Despite their small numbers, the team was very successful, only losing one bout all day. Chantal Dewey '07 finished the day with a perfect record, 18 wins and zero losses.

The men hope for wins in their upcoming matches against Boston College, Brown and M.I.T.

"With top performances from our men we can pick off any team in our league," Coach Bill Shipman said. "We'd like to win the New England Championships."

The next big tournament for the Judges will be hosted by Brandeis on Dec. 5. St. John's, Vassar, Boston College, M.I.T. and Brown will compete against each other at the Brandeis Invitational.

With the influx of first-years and the skill shown by returning fencers, the men hope to finish off most of their competition without much trouble. The most intense contest will be against St. John's, the No. 2 team in the country.

"We are looking for individual victories against St. John's," Rostoker said.