Duke Takes Down No. 1 Harvard

Saturday, February 1

Cambridge, Mass.

6:00 p.m.

Duke University

Harvard

Photo by: Zach Webster

Duke Takes Down No. 1 Harvard

2/1/2025 8:54:00 PM | Fencing

Men's Final Results (PDF)Women's Final Results (PDF)Photo Gallery

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - The Duke fencing program turned in a historic evening with a pair of 15-12 victories at Harvard on Saturday. Facing the No. 1 ranked and defending NCAA champion Crimson, the No. 10 men and No. 6 women each earned an upset.

With the overall men's contest tied 12-12 entering the final round of epee competition, Duke swept all three decisions to secure the triumph. Freshman Peyton Young clinched the Blue Devil victory with his triumph against Harvard's Gabriel Evers.

The Duke women put together an incredible rally, capturing seven of the last eight bouts to register the comeback victory. Senior Rachel Kowalsky tallied the clinching point for the Blue Devils in her epee match.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Duke's men got off to a great start thanks to a 6-3 edge in saber. Freshman Lev Ermakov went 3-0 while classmate William Holz turned in two victories.
The men's foil group captured four wins with freshman Joseph Glasson leading the way with two.
In addition to Young's late heroics for the Blue Devil men in the epee group, freshman Giulio Pech finished 2-0. Earning the third win in the third leg was senior Allen Marakov.
Saber lifted the women's squad with a 6-3 performance. Junior Kunling Tong ended 3-0. Sophomore Natalie Olsen finished her night with two victories.
Foil on the women's side had junior Rachel Koo lead the way with two wins.
Kowalsky registered the final point in the epee group with sophomore Katie Lin finishing with two victories and classmate Vanessa Lin one, in the third leg.

UP NEXT

Duke takes part in the Eric Sollee Invitational tomorrow before returning home for its annual home competition, renamed the Beguinet Classic, on Saturday, February 8. The program will also fence at the Miller Invitational in Chapel Hill, N.C., on February 9.

No. 6 Duke Women def. No. 1 Harvard Women, 15-12
EPEE 5-4
Rachel Kowalsky 2-1
Katie Lin 2-1
Vanessa Lin 1-2

FOIL 4-5
Charlotte Koenig 1-2
Rachel Koo 2-1
Sophia Shen 1-2

SABER 6-3
Victoria Gorman 1-0
Sky Miller 0-2
Natalie Olsen 2-1
Kunling Tong 3-0

No. 10 Duke Men def. No. 1 Harvard Men, 15-12
EPEE 5-4
Giulio Pech 2-0
Allen Marakov 1-2
Xander Wilcox 0-1
Peyton Young 2-1

FOIL 4-5
Joseph Glasson 2-1
Owen Li 1-2
Ryan Pelosky 1-0
Dayaal Singh 0-2

SABER 6-3
Lev Ermakov 3-0
William Holz 2-1
Samir Travers 1-2

For more information on Duke fencing, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "DukeFEN".

#GoDuke