BALTIMORE, MD – The Johns Hopkins women's fencing team went 6-0 at the 2023 Eastern Women's Fencing Conference (EWFC) Championship to win its fourth straight and 10^th overall title. In addition, the Blue Jays also claimed the Foil title and five fencers finished in the top-six in the individual championship.
 
Hopkins opened the day with a 25-2 win over Haverford. Junior Sanya Bawa and freshmen Adelaide Benoit and Josephine Chang combined to lead the Sabre squad to a 9-0 win. Senior Delphine Tan and freshman Rosy Cepero and Bethany Lee did the same in a 9-0 win by the Foil squad. Sophomore Katelyn McShine won all three of her bouts to lead the Epee squad to a 7-2 win.
 
JHU then beat Denison, 18-9, with wins by the Foil and Epee squads. The Sabre squad dropped a close 5-4 decision, led by Chang's two wins. Junior Czarina Alfonso and Cepero won two bouts each, with Alfonso clinching the win, in a 5-4 victory for the Foil squad. Seniors Alex Szewc and Rachel Zhang and sophomore Ameera Ebrahim combined for nine wins for the Epee squad.
 
The Blue Jays followed that with a 15-12 win over the host Drew Rangers. Benoit and Bawa each won two bouts to lead the Sabre squad to a 6-3 win. Lee went 3-0 as the Foil squad won 7-2. Szewc and Rachel Zhang earned one win each in a 7-2 loss for the Epee squad.
 
Hopkins then cruised to a 26-1 win over Yeshiva. Benoit, Van Atta and junior Jenny Song won three bouts each as the Sabre squad won 9-0. Alfonso, Tan and senior Alex McDonald did the same in a 9-0 win by the Foil squad. In the Epee, McShine and junior Diya Kulkarni earned three wins each in an 8-1 win.
 
Hopkins beat Wellesley, 17-10, in the final round of pool competition. Song and Chang each earned two wins, with Song getting the clinching win in a 5-4 win by the Sabre squad. Cepero won all three of her bouts to lead the Foil squad to a 7-2 win. Kulkarni and Szewc won two bouts each, and Kulkarni clinched a 5-4 win by the Epee squad.
 
The Blue Jays then faced off against the Rangers in the championship match. JHU beat the home team, 20-7, to repeat as EWFC Champions. Chang and Song combined for six wins to lead the Sabre squad to an 8-1 win. Lee and Tan did the same in a 7-2 win by the Foil squad. Ebrahim and Szewc won two bouts each, and Kulkarni secured the win, as the Epee squad won 5-4.
 
The Blue Jay Foil squad finished the day with a 44-10 record to claim its fifth straight and ninth overall title. The Epee squad finished second with a 36-18 record, and the Sabre squad placed third (41-13).
 
In the individual competition, McDonald finished in second place and Tan placed 11^th in the Foil. Ebrahim also took second place, while Kulkarni placed fifth, in the Epee. Chang took fourth place and Benoit took sixth in the Sabre. McDonald, Ebrahim, Kulkarni and Chang all earned First Team EWFC honors, with Benoit earning second team honors.  
 
Notes: McDonald earned her 200^th career win on Sunday • She is just the 17^th fencer, in any weapon, in program history to reach the milestone • Hopkins now has 25 wins on the season, the second most in program history, and two shy of the record.