POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - This past Sunday, the Haverford College women's fencing team traveled to Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., to compete in the Vassar Invitational. The weekend's bouts featured eight rounds of fencing action during the all-day event. Haverford claimed wins in four of those rounds.
Up first were two tough competitors. Haverford squared off with the host Brewers in its first action on the strips Sunday, but fell by a 19-8 decision. Things did not get any easier in the second round as the Fords were staring down Ivy League powerhouse Cornell. The Fords dropped a 23-4 score to their Ivy League opposition. Three of those victories came in epee, while senior sabriste Elisabeth Hawthorne also rose to the challenge with a win against the Big Red.
Haverford recorded its first team win of the day in the third round as it rebounded nicely, taking down Army by a 19-8 score. Nevertheless, in the fourth round, the tough schedule resumed with bouts against Division I and fourth-ranked Northwestern. The Wildcats rare appearance at the event gave Haverford invaluable experience going forward. Again, it was the epee squad that captured three of the victories in a 23-4 defeat.
However, the Fords quickly regrouped for the fifth and sixth rounds of action with their two most decisive victories of the day. Fencing against their EWFC rivals, the Fords topped Yeshiva and Hunter by 26-1 and 21-6 scores, respectively.
In round seven, Haverford fell to a resurgent Wellesley team by a 19-8 score. Epee claimed four wins in that meeting, while the sabrists took a trio of victories. The Fords closed out the day on a positive note in the last round. Testing its mettle against Division II Queens College, Haverford appeared re-energized and came away with a hard-fought 16-11 win.
Several strong individual performances across the board were led by co-captain and epeeist Julie Petersen. Petersen, a 2014 NCAA Regional finalist, posted a 20-4 record on the day. All three sabre starters posted winning records with Hawthorne and Anna Neuheardt posting 11 wins, while Amanda Soled was victorious in 10. The foil squad's scoring leader was Alexandra Morrison as she finished with 12 wins to her credit, highlighted by an impressive 5-4 victory against Northwestern's Charlotte Sands.
Up next, fans will have their first chance to catch the team inside the Andy Kates Fencing Salle this Saturday during the second annual Dan Arnstein '09 Invitational.