Four Earn EWFC All-Star Status for Women's Fencing

Four Earn EWFC All-Star Status for Women's Fencing

NEW YORK, N.Y. – The Haverford College women's fencing team advanced seven fencers to the direct elimination bouts of the EWFC Championships on Sunday and saw four of those standouts go on to earn EWFC All-Star status. The EWFC All-Stars (Maia Carvalho; epee, Sarah Blossom; epee, Hanna Kopits; foil, and Caroline Donado; sabre) represented each of the Fords' three weapon squads and were the most for Haverford since the 2014 season. The all-star selections highlighted a very competitive day of fencing as each of the Fords' weapons was fourth in the squad standings while Haverford finished fifth overall as a team.

Sophomore Maia Carvalho earned second-team All-EWFC status for the second straight year in epee while squadmate and fellow sophomore Sarah Blossom earned second-team all-star status for the first time in her career. Carvalho was a team-best 13-5 during the dual portion and entered the direct elimination bouts as the seventh seed. A 5-1 win in the Round of 16 solidified her spot on the all-star team before a hard-fought 5-4 defeat denied her first-team honors by a single touch. She was credited with a sixth place finish. Blossom entered the direct elimination bouts as the 14th seed following a 10-8 record in team competition. Nevertheless, she upset the No. 3 seed in a thrilling 5-4 battle before falling 5-3 in the quarterfinals and was credited with an eighth place finish.

Katie Bradley also represented the epee squad in the direct elimination bouts as the ninth seed following a strong 12-6 record during the team duals. She dropped a 5-2 direct elimination bout and was credited with a 10th place finish to just miss EWFC All-Star status for the third consecutive season. Also representing the epee squad well in the team duals was Yuqin Wu as she went 7-2 and placed 19th overall.

Junior Hanna Kopits was named an EWFC All-Star for the third straight year in foil, garnering second-team recognition. Kopits was 13-7 after the team duals and entered the direct elimination draw seeded 10th. Nevertheless, she blanked her opponent with a 5-0 score in the Round of 16 before falling to the eventual runner-up. Kopits finished her afternoon with a seventh place finish. Golda Glasser also qualified to the direct elimination bouts following a 10-10 record which earned her the 12th seed. She dropped a 5-2 bout in the Round of 16 to finish her day in that same 12th position. Ceanne Lyon finished with a 3-2 record to place 21st overall for the squad while co-captain Zuyi Wang won four bouts to finish 24th in the field. Lillian Sweeney also represented the team with a 30th place showing for the foilists.

Haverford additionally sent two sabrists into the direct elimination draws with Caroline Donado and Macy Brooks qualifying. Donado posted a 12-6 record during the team duals to earn the eighth seed. She then won her opening direct elimination bout by a 5-1 score before falling on the final touch against the top seed, just missing first-team honors of her own. Donado was credited with a sixth place finish to earn second-team All-EWFC honors in her first championship. Brooks went 8-12 against tough competition to earn the No. 16 seed into the direct elimination draw, but fell 5-1 against the top-seeded fencer in the Round of 16. Sofia Nicolayevsky was a perfect 7-0 in team duals, but finished just outside of the direct elimination draw with an 18th place performance. Maria Yea won six bouts throughout the afternoon and placed 23rd overall.

Women's fencing will now have the upcoming weekend away from competition as the Fords prepare for the NIWFA Championships on Saturday, February 29 at Drew. The women did not get to compete at that championship a year ago due to inclement weather, but Kopits is a returning second-team All-NIWFA All-Star from when the team competed in that championship during her rookie campaign in 2018.

Full team results

Vassar 18, Haverford 9
Epee: 5-4
Foil: 9-0
Sabre: 4-5

Stevens 21, Haverford 6
Epee: 5-4
Foil: 9-0
Sabre: 7-2

Johns Hopkins 23, Haverford 4
Epee: 6-3
Foil: 8-1
Sabre: 9-0

Drew 14, Haverford 13
Epee: 4-5
Foil: 3-6
Sabre: 7-2

Haverford 27, Hunter 0
Epee: 9-0
Foil: 9-0
Sabre: 9-0

Haverford 20, City College of New York 7
Epee: 8-1
Foil: 6-3
Sabre: 6-3

Haverford 24, Yeshiva 3
Epee: 7-2
Foil: 8-1
Sabre: 9-0