HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College women's fencing team tested itself against one of the deepest and most competitive fields of the season on Saturday, competing at the Dave Micahnik Penn Invitational inside the Tse Center. The Fords went toe-to-toe with five nationally ranked opponents, facing No. 5 Duke, No. 8 Penn, No. 10 Penn State, NJIT, and Division III top-ranked NYU in a full day of high-level competition.
No. 8 Penn 26, Haverford 1
Haverford opened the day against No. 8 Penn, picking up a win in foil as Sophie Stamicar earned a victory over Sophie Neuman. The Fords were blanked in epee and sabre against the nationally ranked Quakers.
NJIT 16, Haverford 11
The Fords delivered one of their strongest all-around performances of the day against NJIT, highlighted by a 6-3 victory from the epee squad. Evelyn Penhoet recorded two wins in epee, while Nina Hamilton also picked up a bout victory. In foil, Stamicar tallied two wins, with newcomers Janna Castro and Aanya Jeganathen also earning victories. Carter Wood secured Haverford's sabre win in the close matchup.
No. 5 Duke 25, Haverford 2
Facing No. 5 Duke, Haverford once again found success in epee against elite competition. Nina Hamilton and Nina Chafee each earned victories to account for the Fords' two wins against the Blue Jays.
NYU 23, Haverford 4
Against Division III No. 1 NYU, the epee squad continued to impress, picking up three wins. Chafee, Hamilton, and Penhoet each contributed one victory, while Carter Wood added a sabre win for Haverford.
No. 10 Penn State 21, Haverford 6
Haverford closed the invitational with an extremely encouraging performance against No. 10 Penn State, as the epee squad led the way with a hard-fought 5-4 victory. Nina Chafee paced the effort with two wins, while Payton Wagner also earned a pair of bout victories and Penhoet added another. Eliza Kollett contributed a sabre win to round out the scoring for the Fords.
Haverford now faces a quick turnaround, heading to Baltimore on Sunday, January 18, for the Johns Hopkins Invitational. The Fords will square off against the host Blue Jays, No. 15 North Carolina, and Drew.
