PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The Haverford College men's fencing team continued to test itself against the best competition available as the Fords traveled to the University of Pennsylvania for the Philadelphia Invitational on Saturday. Haverford experienced success in each weapon with four different individuals who tied with a team-high seven individual wins. The Fords capped the day with a total team effort during a 21-6 win against Drew.
Gabriel Braun and John Hare each recorded seven wins for the sabre squad and got the team off to a good start with a 6-3 weapon victory against Johns Hopkins. In that first round match, Hare touted a perfect 3-0 record while Braun posted two victories. Epeeist Eric Gardner and foilist Yan Yan Xie both came away with two victories in their respective weapons but it was the Blue Jays who prevailed with 6-3 squad wins in both weapons to lead the way in the 15-12 final. Both Gardner and Xie eventually tied their sabre counterparts with a team-high seven wins on the afternoon.
Facing its stiffest competition during the middle rounds, Haverford took individual victories against each of the weapons when matched up with host Penn and New York University. Foil and sabre each recorded three bout wins in the matchup with the Quakers as Harrison Leighninger scored two of his five bout wins on the day against the hosts. Against NYU, it was sabrist David Parker who stepped up with two victories, while foilist Xie added two more victories to his team leading total. Xie then closed his day with two final wins against North Carolina.
Despite not having Xie in the lineup for the match against Drew, Haverford was more than up to the task in its final bouts of the day. Six individuals posted 3-0 marks in their final action. This included Gardner, Hare, and Braun who capped off their successful days. Epeeist Kadan Lottick also scored three victories for the Fords, while Ian Wheeler posted two wins en route to an 8-1 showing in that weapon. Foil against Drew was highlighted by 3-0 closing from Russell Rivera and co-captain Ching Li.
The Haverford College fencing teams recently announced that the 2017 Alumni Banquet and Reception will now be held on Saturday, February 25. With that change in the schedule, the Fords will have the upcoming weekend away from competition before traveling to MIT on Sunday, February 5 for the Sollee Invitational.
Full team results
Johns Hopkins 15, Haverford 12
Epee: 6-3
Foil: 6-3
Sabre: 3-6
Penn 20, Haverford 7
Epee: 8-1
Foil: 6-3
Sabre: 6-3
New York University 21, Haverford 6
Epee: 8-1
Foil: 7-2
Sabre: 6-3
North Carolina 23, Haverford 4
Epee: 8-1
Foil: 6-3
Sabre: 9-0
Haverford 21, Drew 6
Epee: 8-1
Foil: 7-2
Sabre: 6-3