HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College men's fencing team is ranked sixth in the United States Fencing Coaches Association (USFCA) Division III Preseason Poll, earning 27 points heading into the 2026-27 campaign.

NYU leads the Division III rankings with seven first-place votes and 70 points, followed by MIT with 58 points and Johns Hopkins with 56. Brandeis sits fourth with 50 points, while Haverford trails fifth-place Lawrence by just one point. Drew, Stevens and Hunter round out the nine programs receiving votes.

The recognition follows another successful season for the Fords under head coach Christine Griffith, who enters her third season leading the program. Haverford finished fifth at the 2026 MACFA Championships, where the foil squad captured silver for the third consecutive season. Dean Myers claimed the individual foil championship, while Oliver Po earned bronze.

Po went on to finish 10th at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic/South Regional, the highest placement among Division III foilists, and earned USFCA Division III Foil Newcomer of the Year recognition. Po also received first-team Division III All-America honors, with Myers and Eric Chen earning honorable mention recognition. Griffith was a finalist for USFCA Division III Men's Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season.

Haverford carried that momentum into its season opener at the Coach Nikki Franke Classic, hosted by Temple University. Myers led the Fords with a sixth-place finish in foil, placing highest among Division III competitors in the event.

The preseason rankings mark the debut of the USFCA's redesigned poll, which will be released monthly from October through January. Alongside the overall and Division III team polls, the association introduced national squad rankings for foil, epee and sabre.

The Fords return to action at the Drew Invitational in Madison, N.J., on November 7-8 to begin their dual-meet schedule.