PHILADELPHIA — The Haverford College men's fencing team kicked off the 2025 portion of the regular season at the Philadelphia Invitational, hosted by the University of Pennsylvania inside the Tse Center. The Fords faced tough competition in Saturday's round-robin action, taking on some of the nation's top teams in North Carolina, Johns Hopkins, and Penn State.

Round Four: North Carolina 20, Haverford 7
Haverford showed strength in epee against the Tar Heels, narrowly falling 5-4. Eric Chen led the Fords with three victories, defeating Maximo Zafft, Boris Muga, and Shekar Jayendra. Vivek Veluvali also added a win over UNC's Aiden Click. The foil squad fell 6-3 but saw solid performances from Michael Pyo, who earned wins over Dylan Divitio and Alexander Sichitu, and Henry Fedonchik, who defeated Peter Bruk. The sabre squad was swept by the Tar Heels, 9-0.

Round Six: Johns Hopkins 22, Haverford 5
Against their rivals, the Blue Jays, the Fords' foil squad earned four individual wins. First-year Dean Myers collected three victories, defeating Omar Reyes, Yio Peng Sha, and Alastair Thompson, while Henry Bishop also added a win over Sha. In epee, Chen secured Haverford's fifth point with a win over Matthew Dao.

Round Seven: Penn State 20, Haverford 7
Facing the powerhouse Nittany Lions, Haverford delivered a strong showing in foil, with Myers securing three wins against Michael DeSando, Jun Ahn, and Julian Chin. Pyo also added a victory over Chin. In epee, Chen defeated Zachary Suico, Veluvali overcame Mitchel Bekker, and Ezra Weintroub earned a win over Joshua Yavorovskiy.

The Philadelphia Invitational now continues Sunday at the Tse Center, with bouts starting at 8:30 a.m. Haverford is set to face four Division I opponents in host Penn, followed by Yale, NJIT, and Duke.