Signature Win: The Haverford women's fencing team equaled its best-ever finish from 2008 at the 86th National Intercollegiate Women's Fencing Association (NIWFA) Championships. The fencers won the Division III Team Championship and placed second overall of 17 teams behind No. 9 Temple University. Temple was almost upset in the epee by the Fords, who at the end of the day were a mere three out of 48 five-touch bouts behind the Owls.
Season Notes: The women's fencing team was 20-15 on the season, with notable wins coming against Vassar College, Farleigh Dickinson University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Wellesley College. At the Eastern Women's Fencing Conference (EWFC) Championships, the young sabre squad placed first as a squad while the team took the bronze medal; but reversed that trend and trumped its rivals in the grueling NIWFAs.
Four fencers earned all-conference honors in the NIWFA, placing in the top six of the individual championships: seniors Katie Elbert (foil), Shannon Horn (sabre) and Sarah Sofia (epee) were joined by sophomore epeeist Juliana Petersen, who placed second.
Combined five-touch bout records from both EWFC and NIWFA team championships, yielded impressive numbers for three Fords fencers- seniors Elbert, Horn and Sofia. Their combined record over two team championships was 69-11, with Sofia going 31-1 over the two weekends.
At the Mid-Atlantic NCAA Regional Championships, Juliana Petersen was the highest finishing Division III fencer in any weapon for either gender, placing seventh in the women's epee event. Petersen had missed the latter half of the season due to a fracture in her foot, but recovered in time to have a phenomenal day on the strip.
Awards:
NIWFA Division III champions; overall silver medal
NIWFA first-team all-star: Juliana Petersen
NIWFA second-team all-star: Katie Elbert, Shannon Horn, Sarah Sofia
EWFC sabre squad champions
EWFC team championship: bronze medal
EWFC first-team all-star: Sarah Sofia
EWFC second-team all-star: Leila Braun, Jessica Polling, Elisabeth Hawthorne, Leslie Tjing
NCAA Division I Regional Championship Finalist: Juliana Petersen (seventh)
Looking Ahead:
The women's fencing team enters a rebuilding year coming off of its most impressive season ever and with the loss of triumvirate Katie Elbert (foil), Sarah Sofia (epee), and Shannon Horn (sabre). Under the leadership of co-captains Julie Petersen and Jessica Poling, however, the women's fencers will be able to have a fantastic season and will look to continue their domination of the NCAA Division III.
All three weapon squads have depth of skill and ability, and an exuberance and sense of fun that pervades the team culture. With contributions from tested veterans and talented incoming freshmen, the fencers are looking to challenge for EWFC and NIWFA gold, abiding by the standard that success is not a destination, it is a continuous journey, requiring cooperation, empathy, and hard work.