BRIDGET O’BRIEN/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Fifth-year
student Devin Russell (right) lunges toward his
UCSB foe Sunday in the men’s foil competition at the Wooden
Center.
By Bruce Tran
Daily Bruin Contributor
As hard as it may seem, some good came out of the UCLA football
team’s 27-0 loss to USC on Saturday.
Sunday, in the huddle prior to the start of the 2001 UCLA
Fencing Tournament, coach Greg Schiller spoke to his team.
“This is our home turf,” he said. “Go ahead
and take out any anger of yesterday’s fiasco. Fence with
pride and passion, and defend the UCLA honor.”
The fencing team took Schiller’s words to heart, finishing
with an impressive showing, including sweeps by the men’s
foil and women’s epee teams.
“You’re always going to be motivated when
you’re taking on USC, but we were also on our home floor
fencing in front of family and friends,” Schiller said.
“This was a tournament that we wanted to do extremely well
in. There are places where we still need to do work, but the team
accomplished most of the goals I set for it. They defended the UCLA
honor.”
The tournament, which was held at the Wooden Center for the
first time since 1999, included USC, UCSB and UCI. In addition to
the sweeps by the men’s foil and women’s epee teams,
the men’s sabre and women’s foil teams both defeated
UCI and UCSB.
UCLA’s performance at the meet is part of a growing trend
of impressive tournament finishes.
“Our overall performance has been continuously increasing
over the years,” fifth-year foil fencer Devin Russell said.
“One of the nice things about being a club team is that
you’re always with friends. Even when we lose, they’re
still here, coaching and helping out. It’s really helped to
improve the team’s standards.”
The team now has a two-month break until they head to UCSB on
Feb. 9. Between now and then, the team plans to re-focus and look
over its mistakes from Sunday’s tournament.
“We need to get the newer people more experience,”
said third-year fencer Michelle Demps, whose women’s sabre
team defeated UCSB. “We’re going to try to improve so
that, when we face these teams again, we’ll do even
better.”
One person who won’t be at the next tournament is Russell,
who fenced his last bout for UCLA on Sunday. Russell, who has been
with the team since he was a first-year student, has used up his
eligibility, but though he plans to fence in the USFA, he will stay
with the team as a coach and mentor.
“Everybody came together and pulled out all the stops for
a win on our home court,” Russell said. “It was really
a great feeling to go out with a bang.”
Russell, who is the captain of the men’s foil team, won
eight out of his nine bouts. Additionally, his competitive nature
and veteran experience helped his men’s foil teammates in
sweeping the tournament.
“He doesn’t just fence. He helps the other people
develop their skills and strategies,” second-year foiler
Ruspin Crandall said. “He brings to the team talent and
experience. He drives us with his intensity and passion. He does it
all.”
In defending the UCLA honor and persevering, for one day at
least, the entire fencing team did it all.