POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - The Haverford College women's fencing team competed at the Vassar Invitational in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. on Sunday afternoon, taking a win over Yeshiva (N.Y.) and looking strong against some tough competition from throughout the northeast and Mid-Atlantic in one of the largest team events on the 2024-25 slate.
Round 1: Vassar 20, Haverford 7
Haverford began bright and early against the host Brewers. Nina Hamilton took two epee victories from the hosts, and Payton Wagner added another. Sophie Gardiner added a perfect 3-0 mark in foil, while Paige Copenhaver grabbed a victory for the foil squad.
Round 2: Hunter 17, Haverford 10
Haverford and Hunter went toe-to-toe in the mid-morning match, with the Sabre squad logging a 5-4 win. Rookies Eliza Kollett (three) and Eleni Antoniades (two) combined for five wins, while Hamilton and Olivia Rueger each notched two wins in epee and Sophie Stamicar earned a win in foil.
Round 4: Tufts 21, Haverford 6
Against the Jumbos, Haverford earned five of its six individual wins from a 5-4 squad victory in epee. That triumph included two wins from Hamilton, two from Joselyne Malan and one from Rueger. Gardiner notched a victory in foil to round out the six-win performance from Haverford in the matchup.
Round 5: Haverford 17, Yeshiva 10
Haverford looked poised in its triumph over the Maccabees, with all three weapon squads prevailing. The sabre squad was a 5-4 victor, with Sienna Chung and Kollett each adding two wins while Antoniades added one. The foil squad also won 5-4, with two triumphs from Copenhaver, two from Stamicar and one from Emely Polanco proving to be the difference against Yeshiva. The epee squad received wins from Malan and Wagner.
Round 6: Drew 24, Haverford 3
Against the Rangers, Haverford earned three individual wins in the afternoon matchup. Epee earned wins from Hamilton and Wagner, with Gardiner prevailing over her Drew opponent in foil.
Round 7: Denison 26, Haverford 1
Denison, one of the top squads in Division III, had a perfect day at Vassar and proved to be a tough challenge for the Fords, as Gardiner prevailed over Elly Kennedy for Haverford's lone individual win of the matchup.
Round 8: Wellesley 22, Haverford 5
Rounding out the day with another tough matchup against another squad that went undefeated at Vassar, the Fords earned three wins in foil and two in epee. Gardiner won twice and Copenhaver picked up one win for foil, while Hamilton and Malan each triumphed over their Blue opponents in epee.
The women's fencing team now returns to action at Haverford's home invitational, the D'Arnstein '09 Invitational on December 7 inside the Alumni Field House on campus. Action is slated to begin at 10 a.m.