MADISON, N.J.- Competing in its second invitational of the 2026-27 season, the men's fencing team finished the weekend at the Drew Invitational with a 6-6 record. On the first day of competition, the Big Red went 4-2, beating Wheaton (22-5), Drew (14-13), Vassar (15-12), and Haverford (14-13). 

Denison's leading fencer was first-year sabreist Max Radjabli, with a day-one record of 13-4. Just behind Radjabli was junior Ashwath Pratheep with an 11-7 record, and fellow first-year Stanton Hernandez with an 8-7 record.

In men's foil, the dynamic duo of junior Mark Rifkind and first-year Oliver Gonzalez led the way with 13-5 and 12-5 records, respectively. The first-year pair of Benno Müller and Brian Lehner put up strong records of 11-7 and 10-8, respectively, for the epee squad, playing crucial roles in lifting the Big Red over its opponents on day one.

On day two of the invite, Denison finished 2-4, bringing its overall Drew Invitational record to 6-6. The Big Red started the day with narrow losses to No. 6 Haverford (14-13), No. 3 Johns Hopkins (14-13), and No. 1 NYU (19-8). Denison also put up a tightly contested head-to-head against Division I Wagner (15-12). The Big Red's day-two wins were against No. 7 Drew (22-5) and No.8 Stevens (17-10). 

Standout performances included the foil and epee squads' 9-0 routs of No. 7 Drew. The saber squad's strong 7-2 showing against No. 8 Stevens also helped propel the men to an overall team victory. 

Radjabli was team MVP for the weekend with a two-day record of 25-10 (.71 win rate), and paced the sabre squad. Pratheep also had a strong showing, finishing the weekend with a 20-16 record. 

Rifkind led the foil squad with a 22-13 record (.63 win rate), followed by first-year Gonzalez with a 21-12 record. Rounding out the three weapons, first-year Müller led the epee squad with a 23-13 record for the weekend (.64). Lehner followed closely with a 22-14 record. 

"The men's team came into their own this weekend," head coach Peter Grandbois said. "They beat a few ranked Division III teams and a strong Division I team, and they showed they could go toe-to-toe with the very best Division III teams with their close losses to Johns Hopkins and Haverford. They've put the Division III fencing world on notice. They are a team to contend with." 

Up Next for the Big Red

Denison remains on the road and travels to Philadelphia, Pa., for the University of Pennsylvania Elite Invitational. The invitational will take place Saturday, Nov. 14 at UPenn's Coach Dave Micahnik Fencing Center.