STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – The Haverford College men's fencing team competed against some of the toughest competition it will face all season at the Penn State Invitational on Sunday. All six of Haverford's duals were against teams in the top 10 of the CollegeFencing360.com Poll or receiving votes in the national rankings.

In the midst of some of the nation's top fencing talent, several Haverford fencers shined bright. Highlighting the invitational from a team perspective were sabre squad victories against Yale and North Carolina while coming up just short in a 5-4 defeat against the fifth-ranked host Nittany Lions.

Sophomore Gabriel Braun picked up two individual wins during his weapon squad's toppling of North Carolina and Yale. Braun also scored bout victories against No. 3 Penn and No. 5 Penn State. Freshman John Hare secured five wins for the sabre squad. He won twice against Penn State and Yale, finishing the clinching bout against North Carolina. David Parker helped fuel the weapon's win against North Carolina by securing two bouts, while also claiming individual wins against Yale and Penn State.

Epee scored 12 individual wins, taking bouts from five of its six opponents. Seniors Jake Bassinder and Eric Gardner each led that squad with four individual wins. The team came closest to a weapon squad win during a narrow 5-4 defeat at the hands of Penn. Bassinder went 2-1 in that round with Ian Wheeler also securing a bout for the Fords. In addition to a victory against the Quakers, Gardner had wins against No. 1 Columbia, No. 10 Duke, and North Carolina. Freshman Kadan Lottick also stepped up for his team with two wins against the No. 1 Lions while also claiming a win against Duke.

Freshman phenom Yan Yan Xie finished with the most wins for Haverford on the day. He tallied nine victories to his credit, highlighted by a perfect 3-0 record against Yale with Ching Li also tallying a victory against the Bulldogs during foil's closest match of the day. Xie added two wins against Duke, Columbia, and North Carolina to his strong performance. Classmate Jack Leighninger added wins to his weapon's tally with victories against Duke and North Carolina, while Russell Rivera stepped up with a victory to close the day against Penn State.

Men's fencing will next travel to the Penn for the Philadelphia Invitational this Saturday, January 21. Action on the strips will get underway at 9 a.m. Saturday with the women stepping into action on Sunday.

Team Scores

#10 Duke 21, Haverford 6
Epee: 6-3
Foil: 6-3
Sabre: 9-0

#1 Columbia 22, Haverford 5
Epee: 6-3
Foil: 7-2
Sabre: 9-0

(RV) Yale 17, Haverford 10
Epee: 8-1
Foil: 5-4
Sabre: 4-5

#3 Penn 22, Haverford 5
Epee: 5-4
Foil: 9-0
Sabre: 8-1

(RV) North Carolina 18, Haverford 9
Epee: 8-1
Foil: 6-3
Sabre: 4-5

#5 Penn State 22, Haverford 5
Epee: 9-0
Foil: 8-1
Sabre: 5-4