POUGHKEEPSIE, NY – The second-ranked Johns Hopkins women's fencing team won six of its seven duals on Sunday at the Vassar Invitational. Hopkins earned wins over CCNY, Tufts, Denison, Sacred Heart, Cleveland State and LIU. The Blue Jays' lone loss came to Northwestern, ranked ninth in Division I.
 
Hopkins opened the day with its toughest match of the day, falling to Northwestern 19-8. The Wildcats won the Sabre (8-1) and Foil (7-2) while the Blue Jays won the Epee (5-4). Sophomore Ameera Ebrahim and senior Rachel Zhang led the Blue Jays with two wins each in the Epee, with Ebrahim clinching the win.
 
Hopkins followed that with a dominating 27-0 win over City College of New York. Junior Sanya Bawa and freshmen Adelaide Benoit and Josephine Chang each won three bouts in the Sabre. Freshmen Bethany Lee and Rosy Cepero combined for six wins to lead the Foil squad. And in the Epee, Rachel Zhang, junior Maya Zhang and sophomore Katelyn McShine each won three bouts.
 
JHU then beat Tufts, ranked fourth in Division III, in a close 15-12 match. The Blue Jays won the Sabre (5-4) and the Foil (6-3) while the Jumbos took the Epee (5-4). Chang won each of her three bouts, while Benoit clinched the win in the Sabre. Lee meanwhile led the Foil squad with three wins and in the Epee, it was Rachel Zhang with a team-best two wins.
 
Hopkins then earned back-to-back 19-8 wins over Denison and Sacred Heart. In both matches, the Blue Jays dropped close 5-4 decisions in the Sabre but won the Foil by 9-0 scores and the Epee 6-3. Against the Big Red and the Pioneers, Chang led the Sabre squad with six total wins. Cepero, senior Alex McDonald and junior Jasmine Shen each won all six of their bouts. In the Epee, McShine and Maya Zhang led the Blue Jays with two wins in each match.
 
Hopkins followed with a 22-5 win over Cleveland State, seeping all three weapons. Chang and Benoit won each of their three bouts to lead the Sabre squad to an 8-1 win. In the Foil, McDonald, Lee and Cepero combined for nine wins. Maya Zhang led the Epee squad (5-4) with three wins while Ebrahim secured the win.
 
JHU closed out the day with an 18-9 win over Long Island University. The Blue Jays took 7-2 wins in both the Sabre and the Epee, but dropped a tough 5-4 decision in the Foil. Chang again led the Sabre squad with three wins while McShine did the same in the Epee. Lee had a team-best two wins in the Foil.
 
McDonald moved into eighth place in school history with 168 career Foil wins. Rachel and Maya Zhang are tied for 19^th with 82 wins each in the Epee. And in the Sabre, Bawa moved in a tie for 18^th with 62 wins.
 
Hopkins returns to action on Friday, November 18 at the Columbia Invitational.  
 
Sabre (38-25)
Sanya Bawa • 10-11
Adelaide Benoit • 10-11
Josephine Chang • 18-3
 
Foil (48-15)
Czarina Alfonso • 2-2
Rosy Cepero • 13-6
Bethany Lee • 11-4
Alex McDonald • 14-3
Jasmine Shen • 8-0
 
Epee (42-21)
Ameera Ebrahim • 9-6
Katelyn McShine • 11-4
Maya Zhang • 13-5
Rachel Zhang • 9-6