PHILADELPHIA - Haverford student-athletes were well represented on the Philadelphia Sports Information Directors Association (PhillySIDA) Academic All-Area At-Large teams, as junior fencer Eric Chen was voted Academic All-Area Performer of the Year for 2025-26, his second consecutive year receiving that honor, leading six selections on the Academic All-Area squads.
Joining Chen on the Academic All-Area at-large squads were teammates Michael Pyo and Dean Myers, along with women's fencer Carter Wood. Aaryaman Jaising from men's squash and Nihaal Kochar from cricket were also honored by the organization.
Chen, of Ellicott City, Md., is a junior anthropology major who competes in epee. He turned in another standout season, earning a spot on the 2025-26 USFCA All-America honorable mention squad. He was the 2025 NCAA Elite 90 Award recipient and the Division III Men's Epee Athlete of the Year. His 2024-25 campaign included a berth at the NCAA Championships, first-team Division III All-America honors from the USFCA and recognition as the PhillySIDA Academic All-Area Performer of the Year.
Myers, a pre-major sophomore from San Francisco, competes in foil and captured the 2026 MACFA individual gold medal in addition to All-America honorable mention honors. Representing the Philippines internationally, he placed 13th at the 2026 Asian Junior Fencing Championships in Jakarta. He also earned second-team Division III All-America honors from the USFCA in 2024-25.
Pyo, of Morristown, N.J., is a senior political science major and a consistent contributor in foil. He is a two-time College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District selection and a two-time USFCA Division III honorable mention All-American. In each of the last two seasons, he helped the foil squad to a Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Fencing Association (MACFA) silver medal.
Wood is a senior political science major from Somerville, Mass. Competing in sabre, she earned a spot on the United States Fencing Coaches Association (USFCA) Division III All-Mid-Atlantic/South First Team for the 2025-26 season. She capped her senior campaign with a 29th-place finish at the 2026 NCAA Mid-Atlantic/South Regional Championships at Alumni Field House. Additionally, she was recognized for her academic success as a member of the 2025 Eastern Women's Fencing Conference (EWFC) All-Academic Team.
Jaising is a senior computer science major and team captain from Mumbai, India. He holds the top-flight singles position for the men's squash program. Jaising earned second-team All-Liberty League honors for the 2025-26 season and is a three-time Liberty League All-Academic Team selection. He was also named a College Squash Association (CSA) Scholar-Athlete in 2024-25.
Kochar is a pre-major sophomore all-rounder from Norwalk, Conn. with significant national and international experience with the United States national teams. Entering Haverford, he ranked as the No. 1 bowler and No. 2 overall player in the USA Cricket East Zone U-19 rankings. He also placed among the top 30 players at the U19 National Championship and was identified as the fifth-best pace bowler at USA Cricket trials.
To be nominated, student-athletes must have at least a 3.30 cumulative GPA and have completed at least one full year of classes at their current institution. The team is voted on by the sports information offices of 30 area institutions from the Philadelphia metropolitan area.
