HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College men's fencing team hosted Swarthmore College and Drexel University Saturday afternoon at the Andy Kates Fencing Salle in the Gardner Integrated Athletic Center.

The Fords handily dispatched each of their opponents as Haverford's bench and freshman walk-ons
gained valuable experience.

In the first round, the Fords took on perennial rival Swarthmore. The foil squad led the effort, 8-1, as B-strip starter Lawrence Wang made way for walk-on Edwin Villalta in the last round. Villalta, who lost his lone match against Swarthmore, redeemed himself later in the day with a 5-2 win over Drexel.

The epee squad got off to a show start as captain James Nieuwland dropped his first match. Teammate Kailash Faris gained revenge against the same opponent, as he and squadmate Warren Schwartz went 2-1 in the round.

Sabre started very strong against an experienced Garnet squad, winning four of the first six matches. The match of the day -- Swarthmore's Kevin Buczkowski versus Haverford's Aaron Ruby in sabre -- resulted in a 5-2 rout for Ruby, who was undefeated on the day.

In the second round, Haverford was happy to host the brand-new fencing team from Drexel, which was founded last April by several students with highschool fencing experience. The Fords captured a 22-5 victory despite the Dragons boasting some talented fencers and excellent team spirit.

Freshman walk-on Noah Root was a perfect 3-0 against Drexel, and sophomore walk-on Matthew Holmes was 2-1. Undefeated through both rounds of play were starting foilists Baptiste Teyssier and Sam Levinson at 6-0 each.

After finals and the holiday break, the fencers return to competition on Saturday, Jan. 12 at the Penn State Invitational. Haverford will face off against the host Nittany Lions, University of North Carolina, Duke, and other Division I powerhouses.

Haverford def. Swarthmore, 17-10
Epee: 5-4
Foil: 8-1
Sabre: 4-5

Haverford def. Drexel, 22-5
E: 7-2
F: 8-1
S: 7-2