On Sat., Jan. 26, the Hopkins women’s fencing team participated in the Philadelphia Invitational at Temple University. The team came out with one victory and five losses.
The first opponent on the day was Sacred Heart. A strong start got the Blue Jays out ahead early, with wins in the Sabre (6-3) and the Foil (5-4). Unfortunately, the Epee was a disaster for the Jays as the team dropped an 8-1 decision to finish the match three points behind Sacred Heart, 15-12.
Next up was a formidable opponent, the ninth-ranked Temple Owls. The match was never in Hopkins favor, as the Owls swept all three weapons 8-1 (Epee), 7-2 (Foil), and 6-3 (Sabre). However, bright spots for Hopkins included freshman Abigail Delameter and Jackie Heath who both won their bouts in the Foil. In a close match that gave the team much to be proud of, the team lost a heart wrenching decision to the North Carolina Tar Heels by a score of 15-14. The Jays were again on top in the early portion of the match, winning the Foil and the Sabre by scores of 7-2 and 5-4. The Epee was the deal-breaker once again for the Jays though, as they dropped that match 8-1.
The Jays came out on top that day against NJIT thumping them in the Sabre and the Foil by scores of 9-0 and 8-1, while the Jays once again lost the Epee by the score of 5-4. Finally, the team closed out the day against a high-powered Duke team and lost 16-11. The Blue Jays remained victorious in the Foil (5-4), but in the Sabre and the Epee they were overpowered by the scores of 5-4 and 7-2. The big contributors for the Jays Fencing team were Heath, Rachel Viqueira and Rachel Kalina. Heath and Viqueira won a combined 20 bouts in the foil on the day. In the heated match against North Carolina, Heath and Viqueira combined to win six of the team’s seven Foil bouts. Kalina had a fantastic weekend, coming up huge for the team in her Sabre bouts. After going 1-5 in Philly this weekend, the team’s record now stands at 9-7.
