Nov. 26, 2012
HAVERFORD, PA - The Johns Hopkins women's fencing team opened its dual meet schedule on a strong note, going 5-0 at the Haverford Invitational. The Blue Jays earned wins over William & Mary (26-1), Maryland (25-2), NJIT (22-5), Virginia (22-5) and host Haverford (17-10). Juniors Kathleen Rand and Katherine Simeon led the way for Hopkins on the day as the pair each won 12 bouts.
Hopkins opened up the invitational against Virginia, sweeping all three weapons. Freshmen Rachel Viqueira and Ashley Lau each went 3-0 to lead Hopkins to a 7-2 win in the Foil. Rand, Simeon and sophomore Rachel Kalina meanwhile combined to go 9-0 in the Sabre. And in the Foil, sophomore Gianna Puzzo went unbeaten with three wins as JHU won 6-3. Hopkins then faced host Haverford used victories in the Foil and Sabre to earn the overall win. Junior Jackie Heath and Lau combined for six wins to pace the Blue Jays to an 8-1 win in the Foil. Kalina, Simeon and Rand each won a pair of bouts to garner a 6-3 win in the Sabre. The Fords took the Epee by a 6-3 score.
In round three, Hopkins faced NJIT and claimed wins in the Foil and Sabre to take the team win. Lau and Viqueira each earned two wins, with Lau clinching the win in the Foil. Meanwhile in the Sabre, Simeon and Rand grabbed two wins each to lead the Blue Jays. NJIT took the Epee with a 5-4 win with freshman Kelly Seeger earning two wins for JHU. The Blue Jays then turned in a dominating performance against the W&M Tribe. Heath, freshman Abigail Delamater and sophomore Ilana Regenbogen combined to go 9-0 to win the Foil. Rand and Simeon led the Sabre contingent that also went 9-0 with three wins apiece. And in the Epee, it was freshman Shiting Liu and Puzzo leading the way with a combined six wins for the team's 8-1 win.
Hopkins closed out the day against Maryland, losing just two bouts. Regenbogen and Delamater won three bouts apiece in the Foil in the Blue Jays' 9-0 win. In the Sabre, it was Kalina leading JHU with a 3-0 record in the 8-1 win. Finally, Puzzo and Liu each won three bouts to pace Hopkins to the 8-1 win in the Epee.
Simeon went 12-1 on the day to improve to 193-72 in her career as Hopkins' active wins leader. Rand was just as impressive with a 12-2 record and is now 142-66 in her career. In the Foil, Viqueira finished with a 10-1 mark to lead Hopkins, while Lau finished with an unblemished 9-0 mark. Puzzo led the Epee contingent with an 11-2 mark and is now 91-40 in her career. Liu also finished with double digit wins, going 10-5 on the day.
Hopkins returns to action on December 1 at the Brandeis Invitational.
