HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College women's fencing team is ranked ninth in the United States Fencing Coaches Association (USFCA) Division III Preseason Poll, the opening rankings of the 2026-27 season.

Johns Hopkins holds the top spot with six first-place votes and 69 points, followed by NYU with three first-place votes and 55 points. Tufts rounds out the top three with 51 points. Haverford sits behind eighth-place Stevens and ahead of Drew and Lawrence, which are tied for 10th. 

The Fords enter their third season under head coach Christine Griffith after placing eighth out of 14 teams at the 2026 National Intercollegiate Women's Fencing Association (NIWFA) Championships. Haverford's epee squad led the way with a fifth-place team finish, while senior Nina Hamilton earned second-team All-NIWFA recognition after finishing fifth individually. Senior Carter Wood added USFCA Division III All-Mid-Atlantic/South Region honors in sabre following the season.

Haverford opened the 2026-27 campaign Saturday at Temple University's Coach Nikki Franke Classic, where several newcomers gained their first collegiate experience against a field spanning multiple divisions. First-year Samantha Kelling paced the Fords with a 33rd-place finish in foil, collecting five victories across two rounds of pool competition. Fellow first-year Evelyn Penhoet tied for 44th in epee after opening with a 3-1 pool record.

Sophomore Eleni Antoniades led Haverford's sabre contingent in 38th place, earning three pool victories, including a win over Penn's Sophie Cao. Sienna Chung finished 43rd, while first-year Oju Rizal placed 45th.

The USFCA's redesigned poll features monthly rankings from October through January, with overall and Division III team polls joined this season by national squad rankings in foil, epee and sabre.

Haverford begins its dual-meet schedule at the Drew Invitational in Madison, N.J., on November 7-8, 2026.