Spearheaded by a dominant performance in men's foil, the men's and women's fencing teams began their seasons with solid showings at the New England Fall Collegiate Meet, also known as "The Big One," Saturday at Smith College. In the individual competition that did not count for team standings, the Judges competed against 14 regional teams. Eugene Vortsman '08, Will Friedman '09 and J.D. Carroll '09 won the gold, silver and bronze medals in men's foil, respectively, while Kai Keller '07 won the gold in men's epee. On the women's side, Jessica Davis-Heim'08 came in third in foil, while Caitlin Kozel '10 finished sixth in saber and Kirsten Heinz '09 finished sixth in epee.

"As a three-man team, men's foil is our strongest and most-balanced group," coach Bill Shipman said of Vortsman, Friedman and Carroll.

"We are deeper than we ever have been, with quality fencers in every weapon, particularly in men's foil and epee," he added.

Captain Brendan Doris-Pierce '07 also emphasized the Judges' depth.

"We are four or five deep in every weapon and can compete at a high level if we go to the bench," Doris-Pierce said.

He also said a more intangible factor, team spirit, would be instrumental to the Judges' success.

"Everybody gets behind each other, even when one weapon is having a bad day," Doris-Pierce said. "Nobody talks down about each other."

Keller's victory in epee was particularly encouraging for the Judges. After making the NCAA Championships in each of his first two seasons at Brandeis, Keller studied abroad last fall and narrowly missed out on the NCAAs in the spring. In his final season at Brandeis, Keller is looking to return to his old form.

"Last year was a disappointment for me," Keller said. "I would love to make it back to the NCAAs."

Shipman said: "[Keller] is always very competitive, and he is probably the most reliable fencer we have had the last three years."

An epee victory may have been a good start, but Keller said his recovery still isn't complete.

"I was happy to win, especially considering I am still not where I should be yet," Keller said.

Rookie Will Bedor '10 finished second place in epee, behind Keller. Meanwhile, captain Isaac Liberman '07 and Clifford Spital '08 were the Judges' top performers in men's saber, with both finishing in a tie for third place.

While the women's team was not as dominant as the men's Saturday, captain Chantal Dewey '07, who finished fifth in women's foil, was still pleased with the team's showing.

"We worked very hard and showed a lot of determination for an early-season match," Dewey said. "Our technique and our attitude were great, and it really showed in the result."

Davis-Heim, the top women's fencer from Brandeis on the day at third place in foil, emphasized that endurance was a problem for herself and her teammates in this competition. While team competitions consist of bouts until five points, Saturday's individual event had bouts until 15 touches, with long breaks in between bouts all day.

"I was not prepared for this kind of tournament," Davis-Heim said. "I just got exhausted in my last bout."

Nevertheless, Davis-Heim managed to overcome fatigue to post a satisfying finish.

"I felt good about my fencing, and I was making clean touches that I was proud of," she said.

The fencing teams next compete at the Northeast Conference Meet in Cambridge on Nov. 18 at 9 a.m.