WALTHAM, Mass. – The Haverford College women's fencing team edged out NJIT by a 14-13 score to highlight its weekend at the Sollee Invitational on the campus of Brandeis. The weekend's bouts were the final competition before the EWFC and NIWFA Championships in the coming weeks.
Sabre provided the path to victory against the Highlanders by winning seven of those nine bouts as NJIT owned narrow wins in both epee and foil. Haverford's sabrists combined for 25 victories over the six rounds of fencing and also recorded squad wins against host Brandeis and MIT throughout the day.
Sabrist Anna Neuheardt finished her day with an 11-5 record to lead her squad, winning at least one bout during each round of fencing. She was a perfect 3-0 in the squad's triumph over Brandeis, while also adding two wins in sabre's success against NJIT and Brandeis. Co-captain Alexandra Morrison nearly matched her teammate with a 10-5 record. The senior was 3-0 in the team win over NJIT and 2-1 during the other squad victories before being subbed out in the final round of fencing. Morrison won a bout in each of the rounds she contested, including two more victories against NYU. Emily Brown recorded 2-1 records against NJIT and Brandeis, adding to those squad wins while being subbed out in sabre's third victory.
First year ace Hanna Kopits continued to impress as she recorded 12 victories against just six defeats to lead all Fords. Winning at least one bout in each of her six rounds, she posted a crucial 3-0 mark in the team's win against NJIT and was also unblemished against Brandeis. Kopits also recorded two wins against Boston College and MIT. Zuyi Wang picked up victories in four different rounds, while Jia-Ming Tuan showed tremendous growth throughout the day, headlined by wins against MIT and Brown in the final two rounds.
Five different Fords added wins the epee squad. Co-captain Amanda Soled led those efforts with a victory in each of her four rounds in the lineup, beating Boston College, Brandeis, MIT, and Brown. Lauren Pronger also had a win in each her three rounds in the lineup, securing victories over Boston College, Brandeis, and MIT. Valentina Zavala-Arbelaez (Boston College/NJIT) and Katie Bradley (NJIT/NYU) both added two wins, while Claire Cai found her success in another crucial victory over the Highlanders.
Women's fencing will have the upcoming weekend away from competition as the Fords return to action on Sunday, February 18 for the EWFC Championship which will be hosted by Johns Hopkins.
Full Team Scores
Boston College 19, Haverford 8
Epee: 6-3
Foil: 6-3
Sabre: 7-2
Haverford 14, NJIT 13
Epee: 3-6
Foil: 4-5
Sabre: 7-2
New York University 22, Haverford 5
Epee: 8-1
Foil: 8-1
Sabre: 6-3
Brandeis 16, Haverford 11
Epee: 7-2
Foil: 6-3
Sabre: 3-6
MIT 16, Haverford 11
Epee: 7-2
Foil: 5-4
Sabre: 4-5
Brown 21, Haverford 6
Epee: 8-1
Foil: 6-3
Sabre: 7-2