Following a season in which one Bulldog conquered all collegiate fencers, the Yale fencing teams set out this season to elevate the entire team to the elite level, and improve upon a ninth-place finish at last year’s NCAA championships.

Strong individual performances for the Elis at the Penn State Open provided a glimpse of the team’s potential.

The men’s team (5-6, 1-1 Ivy) opened its Ancient Eight campaign with a solid victory over the University of Pennsylvania, and followed that up with a split homestand, besting Brown, but falling to Ivy rival Columbia.

Feb. 23 the Bulldogs will travel to Cambridge for a showdown with Harvard and Princeton. With two wins, Yale could win the Ivy title.

With talented athletes at all three weapons, the men’s team should contend with the Northeast’s best at regionals.

The women’s team appears ready for the Ivy title. The Bulldogs are led by defending national champion and All-American Sada Jacobson ’04 (10-2, 3-0 Ivy).

Jacobson is currently No. 1 in the world among under-20 women’s saber fencers. She recently placed 12th in the Senior World Championships in Nimes, France.

The female fencers continued to roll after an early Ivy win over Cornell. The Bulldogs thrashed Penn, sweeping all three weapons en route to a 20-7 victory.

Yale faces Harvard and Princeton Feb. 23 before beginning a series of tournaments at the end of February and through March.