Last Saturday, Dartmouth fencing held its own against three-time New England champion Brown University, as the men's team lost 17-10 and the women's team won 13-12.
Dartmouth fencers gave nothing away, and the outcome was decided in the last four bouts. "The fact that our men's team kept it tied up until the last round I think really surprised Brown," men's team captain Ben Herman '96 said. "We're a young team and I don't think they expected much competition."
Coach Jim Carter, who had previously coached at the University of Massachusetts, only began attending Monday night practices last spring and took over full-time in September.
"This team is short on experience but long on guts. It's the best kind of team to have to coach because everyone wants to do it," Carter said.
One example of Carter's success is Matt Richardson '97, a novice fencer who as late as last summer believed foil was just aluminum. Richardson has progressed enough to qualify for the Junior Olympics this month.
"The coach is extremely helpful and so are all the other teammates," Richardson said. "They're constantly looking for ways to help you improve."
Many of the other freshmen fencers have brought high school experience with them, adding more depth to the team. But the lack of female members has limited team attendance at meets. "Because we don't have a complete team, other schools are reluctant to invite us to meets," Carter said.
The strong showing on Saturday means that more teams will want to compete against Big Green Fencing.
