DURHAM, NC – The Johns Hopkins men's fencing team went 2-3 at the Duke Invitational Saturday against a tough slate of ranked opponents. Hopkins picked up wins over Brandeis and MIT, but fell to Penn State, Notre Dame and Duke.
Hopkins opened the day with a 20-7 loss to seventh-ranked Penn State. The Foil squad lost a tough 5-4 decision, with sophomore
Alan Zheng and freshman
Spencer Grossman Smisek picked up two wins each. Sophomore
Ethan Kim earned the lone win for the Epee squad while junior
Qilin Tong grabbed both wins for the Sabre squad.
JHU then beat Brandeis, ranked fourth in Division III, by a 16-11 score. Zheng, Grossman Smisek and junior
Anthony Bae won two bouts each to lead the Foil squad to a 6-3 win. Freshman
Jorge Gana won two of his bouts as the Epee squad lost a close one, 5-4. Senior
Sachin Mehta then own all three of his bouts to lead the Sabre squad to a 6-3 win.
The Blue Jays followed with a tough 17-10 loss to the host Blue Devils. Zheng won his three bouts to lead the Foil squad to a 6-3 win. Gana picked up a pair of wins and Kim added another in a 6-3 loss for the Epee squad. And in the Sabre, Tong picked up the Blue Jays' only win.
Hopkins bounced back with a 17-10 win over MIT, ranked fifth in DIII. Bae and Zheng won two bouts each, with Zheng getting the clinching win, in a 5-4 win for the Foil squad. Gana won all three of his bouts and the Epee squad won 7-2. Freshman
Alex Jeffords won two bouts and Tong clinched the Sabre squad's 5-4 win.
JHU closed out the day with a 20-7 loss to fourth-ranked Notre Dame. Grossman Smisek won two bouts in a 6-3 loss for the Foil squad. Freshman
Matthew Dao earned a pair of wins in a 6-3 loss for the Epee squad. And in the Sabre, Jeffords picked up the Blue Jays' lone point.
Hopkins returns to action on Sunday, February 12 with the annual JHU Invitational.
Epee (18-27)
Matthew Dao • 5-10
Jorge Gana • 8-4
Gabe Insler • 0-4
Ethan Kim • 5-9
Foil (24-21)
Anthony Bae • 5-4
Spencer Grossman Smisek • 9-6
Pranav Shibu • 0-6
Alan Zheng • 10-5
Sabre (15-30)
Larry Cai • 2-3
David DeScherer • 2-7
Alex Jeffords • 3-5
Sachin Mehta • 4-8
Qilin Tong • 4-7
