PHILADELPHIA, PA – The Johns Hopkins women's fencing team returned to action for the first time in more than a month and earned a big win. JHU beat top-ranked NYU and also earned wins over Lafayette and Wagner. The Blue Jays fell to Cornell and Duke, both ranked in the top-10 in Division I.
 
Hopkins opened the day with a 23-4 win over Lafayette. Sophomores Adelaide Benoit and Josephine Chang and freshman Ky McSweeney won two bouts each to lead the Sabre squad to a 6-3 win. In the Epee, junior Ameera Ebrahim and freshmen Anika Kale and Janie McSweeney combined for a 9-0 win. Sophomore Rosy Cepero and freshman Julianna Wu won three bouts each as the Foil squad won 8-1.
 
The Blue Jays then dropped a 20-7 decision to the ninth-ranked Duke Blue Devils. Chang won two of her bouts to lead the Jays in a 6-3 loss in the Sabre. Ebrahim and senior Diya Kulkarni won one bout each in a 7-2 loss in the Epee. And in the Foil, it was Wu and senior Czarina Alfonso earning one win each in a 7-2 loss.
 
Hopkins rebounded with a 20-7 win over Wagner. Chang and freshman Lauren Prieur combined for six wins to lead the Sabre squad to a 7-2 win. Kulkarni and junior Katelyn McShine won two bouts each and Kale clinched a 5-4 win for the Epee squad. Wu and Cepero combined for six wins in an 8-1 win for the Foil squad.
 
JHU lost to 10^th-ranked Cornell, 17-10. Chang, Prieur and Li won one bout each for the Blue Jay Sabre squad. Ebrahim and sophomore Mickey Zhang did the same in a 7-2 loss in the Epee. Wu and Cepero led the way again, winning two bouts each, with WU clinching a 5-4 win for the Foil squad.
 
The Blue Jays closed out the day with a 14-13 win over the Violets, the top-ranked team in Division III. Prieur and Li won one bout each as the Sabre squad lost 7-2. Kale and Kulkarni each won twice, with Kulkarni securing a 5-4 win in the Epee. Alfonso and Cepero won each of their three bouts to lead the Foil squad to a 7-2 win. Cepero's third win was the 100^th of her career.
 
Notes: Cepero is now tied for 19^th in JHU history with 100 career Foil wins • McShine moved into a tie for 14^th with 114 career Epee wins • Chang now ranks 10^th with 145 career Sabre wins • This Hopkins' third straight win over NYU, and second straight when the Violets were ranked number one.