After the men's fencing team found itself trailing 0-3 after losses to Pennsylvania State University, Duke University and Princeton University, Sunday's Brandeis-MIT Invitational was quickly turning into a nightmare. But thanks to foil Will Friedman '09 and epee Kai Keller '07, who spearheaded a tremendous comeback effort, the Judges clinched its first win ever over the University of Pennsylvania at 14-13.

"[The men] never quit or got down on themselves," coach Bill Shipman said.

Friedman had an 11-2 record for the day as the men salvaged an even 3-3 record at the meet after their dismal start. Meanwhile, the women struggled to a 1-5 finish.

"This shows we have the stamina [and] are deep in all three weapons," Friedman said. "Every squad contributed to the comeback."

The pinnacle for the men came during the UPenn match. Brandeis found itself down 0-3 after the saber team narrowly dropped its first three bouts, each by scores of 5-4.

The Judges bounced back with the help of the foil and epee teams. Rookie Andrew Travis '10, a substitute in epee, turned in a 5-3 record, while foil Eugene Vortsman '08 held on for a 5-4 win after falling down 4-0 earlier. Finally, with the match tied at 13, Keller closed out the battle to give Brandeis the 14-13 edge.

"UPenn has a legitimate shot to finish in the top three of the Ivy League," saber and captain Brendan Doris-Pierce '07 said. "Our performance says a lot about the character of the team."

Brandeis completed the comeback with a 25-2 thrashing of Yeshiva University and an 18-9 win over New York University.

Friedman's 11-2 day included a victory over Penn State's Nick Chinman, a member of the junior world team.

"[Friedman] was the rock of the team," Doris-Pierce said. "He had a phenomenal record considering the level of competition."

Earlier in the competition, the Judges fell to Penn State 21-6, Duke 14-13 and Princeton 19-8. Against Duke, Brandeis dug itself into an early hole, losing by one point to the Blue Devils.

"We let [the match] slip through our fingers," Liberman said.

The women were outscored 97-65 on the day, with three close losses and two lopsided defeats.

The Judges fell to UPenn 21-6, Penn State 20-7, Tufts University 14-13, Princeton 16-11 and Duke 16-11. The women's lone victory was a 17-10 triumph over NYU, which clinched a University Athletic Association title for Brandeis.

Coach Shipman took responsibility for the women's loss against Tufts.

"I substituted too early [in the match], and we were unable to come back," Shipman said. "The loss was primarily my fault."

Shipman also explained that the women had a tough time dealing with the high level of competition at this meet.

"Penn State, Princeton and UPenn were too strong for us," Shipman said.

"They're all deeper up and down the line. We were overmatched in some bouts."

Individually, saber Kirsten Heinz '09 shined with a 12-4 mark.

This was the final regular season performance for both the men's and women's squads. The Judges compete next at the Junior Olympics in Hartford, Conn. Saturday, Feb. 18.