PHILADELPHIA - On Saturday, November 4, the Haverford women's fencing team participated in the Dr. Nikki Franke Classic, formerly the Temple Open, a traditional season-opening individual tournament that attracts competitors from as far away as Boston College, Duke, and Penn State to the Liacouras Center on the Temple University campus. Nearly all of the Fords advanced from the initial elimination round to the seeding pool before competing in the coveted direct elimination rounds.

Epeeist Nina Hamilton achieved the highest placement among the Fords, tying for 28th. In the seeding pools, she defeated Thaleia Roda from Florida and Zoya Duarte-Garcia from Stevens. In the first Direct Elimination round, Hamilton bested Florida's Hanna Collins but lost her next match against Penn's Victoria Kuznetzov. Joselyne Malan, another epeeist, lost her first Direct Elimination match against Stevens Tech's Grace Hicks, finishing 49th.

Sabriste Rebecca Osbaldeston secured the second-highest finish for the team on Saturday, placing 33rd. She achieved this ranking by defeating Florida's Sophia Medina, Rowan's Anushree Chauhan, and Alex Benito from Fairleigh Dickinson during the seeding pools, but was defeated by NYU's Ashley Van Den Bol. Carter Wood made her sabre debut for the Fords and earned a respectable 38th place in her first tournament for the Scarlet and Black. 

Foilist Sophie Gardiner followed closely behind Osbaldeston, finishing 34th in her discipline. She secured a win against FDU's Dominique Greaux-Gist and delivered an impressive upset by defeating Penn's Alexis Bienstock in the pools. Gardiner narrowly lost to NYU's Madelyn Zamelis in the Direct Elimination. Fellow foilists Nina Chafee (39th), Petra Budavari (44th tied), and Paige Copenhaver (62nd tied) all registered wins in the pools. This outing marked one of the most enjoyable and successful appearances at the Temple event in several years.

The women's fencers are set to compete at the Vassar Invitational this coming Sunday, which involves an early departure from campus and matches Haverford against six opponents, including the host Brewers, as well as Wellesley, Lafayette, Yeshiva, Tufts, and Drew.