Yeshiva College's Fencing Macs will open their season this Sunday, November 11th, in Johns Hopkins University. With a vaunted veteran Saber squad led by Senior Greg Samuels, and new but determined Epee and Foil teams, the Macs hope to be a force in MACFA, the Mid Atlantic Collegiate Fencing Association.

While last year's team achieved a measure of individual success, the team overall did not fare as well as it had in its stellar previous year, where it placed third in MACFA. Nevertheless, this year's group hopes to return Yeshiva fencing to its prior glory, despite the loss of experienced fencers like Epee Captain Steve Mellner, who graduated last spring.

In Baltimore, the Macs will face perennial conference powerhouse Johns Hopkins, as well as Virginia, William and Mary, and Virginia Tech. The fencing team consists of three different weapon squads: foil, epee and saber. At meets, each of the squad's three starters fence three five-touch bouts, for a total of 27 round robin bouts. The first team to take 14 or more bouts wins the meet.

"This weekend is a good test for the team," predicted Coach Arnold Messing. "As we go up against four MACFA schools, we hope the team will do well. There are a lot of unseasoned fencers on this year's squad, and this meet will be a barometer of how we need to adjust and train each of them."

Despite the team's overall youth, Yeshiva's saber squad is looking forward to a successful year. With returning veterans like Samuels, juniors Dovid Tzvi Jacobs and David Ratzker, and seniors Simon Landsberg and Dov Mittleman, the group brings a total of 12 years of combined experience with it. "We're hoping to finish in the top three of the conference again," enthused Samuels. "We have a great group of guys, and we're focussed on achieving a great deal, both individually and as a squad."

Senior Jay J. Klein leads the Epee squad, which is rounded out by fellow senior Sir Avi Bindell, returning sophomore Andre Ghighi from France, and newcomer Avi Holczer. Klein, a southpaw who switched from foil at the end of last year because he felt that epee better suited his style, hopes to fill the void created by the lefty Mellner's departure. "We're really looking forward to a challenging but good year," said Klein.

Though foil lost a number of veteran fencers to graduation as well, Captain Tani Berko, a sophomore, hopes that the team will find itself soon enough. Berko, who is pre-med, is no stranger to hard work. Neither are the other foil fencers, two of whom are also planning on going to medical school. Junior Alon Kol is studying Organic Chemistry in between meets, while Senior and newcomer to the team Sam Singer is applying to med schools. Junior Daniel Segall, who moonlights as a talented pianist, and freshman Avi Pittelman round out the squad. Though young, these foil fencers hope to advance their way, along with the rest of the team, to the top of the conference.