Over the past few weeks, Hopkins fencing has continued to prove it can compete with the top teams around the country. On Feb. 27, the Hopkins men’s fencing squad traveled to New York University to compete at the inaugural United States Collegiate Fencing Squad Championship. The men’s team placed sixth in the championship tournament.
On March 5th, the women’s team hosted the National Intercollegiate Women’s Fencing Association (NIWFA) Championship at the Ralph S. O’Connor Recreation Center. The women placed second, and were the best Division III team at the competition.
The Hopkins men’s sabre squad was seeded sixth entering the Collegiate Fencing Squad Championship, surrounded by some of the best competition in the country. The sixth seed earned them a bye in the first round of play, but forced them to face-off with Brown University in the second round. The team lost 45-29, yet Jays senior Max Wieder and sophomore Nicholas Barbera, picked up individual wins en route to the loss.
The third round fared much better for the Jays, as they defeated Columbia University 45-44. Wieder was at it again as he totaled 15 touches in each of his two individual bouts, winning both.
His teammate, sophomore Sid Menon, also won a pair of bouts, totaling 15 touches in each. Barbera went 1-2 but compiled 15 touches in his first bout to help the squad defeat Columbia.
Hopkins fenced Haverford College in the fourth round, needing a win to propel them further into the tournament. Unfortunately, Haverford outlasted the Jays, 45-40. The Jays finished in sixth place, but saw solid play from Wieder, Menon and Barbera throughout the day.
Wieder earned four wins at the competition, moving him to fourth all-time in Hopkins school history, with 314 career wins. He is only six wins shy of the all-time record held by Paul Cordts (320).
This past Saturday, women’s fencing turned in its best ever finish at the NIWFA championship. The second-place finish was fueled in part by freshman Jackie Heath, who won silver in the individual foil competition.
Hopkins also set a school record, earning a silver medal in all three weapons for the first time in scool history. In all three events (Epee, Foil and Sabre) Temple University came in first place, earning them the Olympians Trophy.
As a team, the Lady Jays earned 36 victories in the epee, 43 victories in the foil and 44 wins in the sabre, each of which earned them second place. Hopkins has won the silver in the foil four out of the last five years, and in the sabre a silver medal has been brought home two of the last three years.
In the individual competition, Heath led the Jays with her silver medal in the foil. Junior Marion Trumbull finished in fifth place, just behind Heath, and junior Jen Hession finished in 15th place.
In the sabre, Hopkins freshman Katherine Simeon finished in fifth place, followed by senior Mary Vitale in eigth and freshman Kathleen Rand in 13th.
In the epee, sophomore Komal Kumar finished in 13th place and junior Lauren Chinn placed 16th.
Overall the Hopkins fencing teams showed strong performances in all weapons. The well-rounded teams both had very successful seasons and are looking forward to the NCAA Regionals this weekend in Madison, New Jersey. The Jays are ready for a chance at a titl
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