PHILADELPHIA – The Haverford College men's fencing team opened the 2017-18 season with the Temple Open over the weekend. However, sophomore foilist Yan Yan Xie already appeared to be in midseason form. Picking up right where he left off in his NCAA Regional finalist position last spring, Xie once again found himself back in the finals again on Sunday, placing eighth at the first competition of the season.
The sophomore ripped through pool fencing with a 7-1 record before entering the direct elimination table. With a first round bye in the direct elimination bouts, Xie conceded just 14 touches in his first three bouts of that table. His run through the table was stopped in the quarterfinals as he dropped a highly-contested final touch to eventual champion Kyle Welch of New York University in that 15-14 bout.
Jack Leighninger also found success for the Fords in the direct elimination bouts as he downed Carmine Freda of Stevens in the Table of 64 after going 6-1 in seeding bouts to finish 24th overall. First year Carter Langen also showed great promise in his first collegiate action, going a combined 5-3 during the two rounds of seeding to help him place in a tie for 40th. Alton Wiggers (45th), Aldis Gamble (t-48th), and Russell Rivera (t-50th) each collected three victories in seeding bouts to begin their foil seasons.
The reigning MACFA Champion sabre squad also got the season off to a strong start with those same three returning members. John Hare was Haverford's highest placer in that weapon as he went 7-1 in his seeding bouts and picked up two more wins in the direct elimination bouts before falling to eventual fifth-place finisher Sandy Vingoe of Johns Hopkins to end his day with a 14th place finish. David Parker and Gabriel Braun both finished with 6-2 records in seeding bouts. Parker finished in a tie for 21st place, winning one direct elimination bout, before falling in the Table of 32 to North Carolina's third-place finisher Firoz George. Braun also earned a direct elimination win, but fell in the same round of 32 as his junior classmate to eventual champion Grant Williams of New York University.
Co-captain Ian Wheeler led the Fords epeeists with a 49th place finish. The senior collected four wins during his seeding bouts, while Kadan Lottick and Raynor Bond-Ashpole also added three more bout victories in seeding to place 52nd and 76th, respectively. First year Adrian Ballard did not qualify for the direct elimination bouts, but came back strong in the consolation rounds with a 4-1 record in those bouts to close his first collegiate competition.
Men's fencing will now have the upcoming weekend away from competition as the Fords get ready for their first team competition of the season, the Vassar Invitational. Heading to Poughkeepsie, New York on Sunday, November 12, competition at the Vassar Invite is slated to get underway at 10 a.m. with both the men's and women's teams in action that same day.