Jan. 23, 2012
PHILADELPHIA, PA - The Johns Hopkins women's fencing team beat Haverford but dropped decisions to four Division I teams, including a trio ranked in the top 10, at the Philadelphia Invitational. Hopkins slips to 4-4 on the season. Senior Lauren Chinn and freshman Rachel Kalina led the Blue Jays with nine wins apiece.
Hopkins dropped a tough 17-10 decision to host and ninth-ranked Penn in its opening match on Saturday. The Blue Jays edged the Quakers, 5-4, in the Sabre behind three wins for Kalina, who clinched it with her win in the final bout. Sophomore Katherine Simeon picked up a pair of wins for the Blue Jays. Penn then won the Foil, 9-0, but Hopkins would take the Epee, 5-4. In the Epee, Chinn won all three of her bouts, including the final won to clinch the win for JHU. Freshman Gianna Puzzo and sophomore Liz Caris each won a bout.
The Blue Jays followed with a tight 15-12 win over the Haverford Fords. In the Sabre, Haverford just beat out Hopkins, 5-4, with the decision coming down to the final bout. Kalina and Simeon each won a pair of bouts for the Blue Jays. JHU answered with a 5-4 win in the Foil, behind a pair of wins from senior Jen Hession and sophomore Jackie Heath, with Heath clinching the win in the ninth bout. Hopkins then won the Epee by a 6-3 score, with Chinn winning all three of her bouts to lead the Jays.
Cornell downed JHU, 20-7, in the third match of the day. Kalina won two of her three bouts, but the Big Red won the Sabre, 6-3. Cornell then swept the Foil before getting a win in the final bout to win the Epee, 5-4. Chinn again won all three of her bouts in the Epee, while Puzzo earned a win as well. Hopkins then fell, 25-2, to 10th-ranked Duke. The Blue Devils blanked the Blue Jays, 9-0, in the Sabre before 8-1 wins in the Foil and Epee. Heath picked up the Jays' lone win in the Foil, while Puzzo had the win in the Epee. And against eighth-ranked Temple, the Owls earned the 20-7 win. Kalina again won two bouts in the Sabre, but the Jays fell to the Owls, 7-2. Hession and Heath each earned a win in the Foil in a 7-2 loss to Temple. And in the Epee, Temple won 6-3 while Puzzo earned a pair of wins and Caris had one.
Chinn paced the Blue Jays with nine wins in the Epee as she improved to 27-5 on the season and 244-78 for her career. In the Sabre, Kalina led the way with nine wins as well and is now 26-6 for the season. Heath had four wins in 15 bouts for Hopkins to lead the way in the Foil. She is now 47-16 on the year and 142-51 for her career.
Hopkins returns to action on Saturday, February 4 at the Eric Sollee Invitational at Brandeis University in Waltham, MA. The invitational features host Brandeis, NYU, Penn, Hunter and Haverford.
