Penn fencing battles through Temple Invitational ahead of NCAA competition

Penn fencing showed its resilience on Sunday. Coming off a tough weekend of play at the Ivy League Championships, the group rebounded well.

At the Temple Invitational, the women matched up against Johns Hopkins, Princeton, St. Johns, and host Temple. The Red and Blue began the day strong with a dominant 23-4 win over Johns Hopkins. In their next matchup, the Quakers were narrowly defeated by St. John's, 14-13. A subsequent 17-10 victory against Princeton put Penn at 2-1 heading into its final contest against Temple.

Penn ultimately fell to the Owls, 17-10. The loss can be attributed mainly to Temple’s strong foil squad, as the Quakers were only able to pull out one win with that weapon.

Although Penn's foils did not fare well against Temple, the group was undefeated for the rest of the day. Danielle Ferdon led the way for this squad with an 8-3 record throughout the four matchups. In addition, the sabre and epee squads both had strong days as well, going 3-1 and 2-2, respectively.

The men’s team ended the day with a 3-1 record, losing only to Princeton.  

Like the women, the men also started the day with a comfortable 16-11 victory over Johns Hopkins.

However, their next match was much closer, with the Red and Blue edging out a strong St. John’s side by a score of 14-13. Although the sabre and foil squads each won the majority of their bouts, Penn’s epees went 2-7, with the only two wins coming from freshman Emon Daroian.

“St. John’s has a strong collection of fencers with more unconventional styles. It's hard to succeed against these players if you have not faced their styles before,” Daroian said.

Later in the day, the Quakers faced a strong Princeton side, losing 19-8, with Daroian again garnering a majority of the Epee points for the Red and Blue.

The men did finish the day on a positive note, however, comfortably beating Stevens by a score of 16-11.

“This tournament is a good starting point for the upcoming weeks. With regionals around the corner and the NCAA Championships only a few weeks after that, this tournament is a way to look at what we have to improve before the final competitions of the year," Daroian said.

As the Quakers head into spring break, hopes are high for upcoming competitions.

“If we can keep a good mindset and all support and help each other, I think we will be successful in our next competitions,” Daroian said.

The Red and Blue are preparing for the NCAA Championships, where they will face a crowded and strong playing field. Last year, Penn fared well, coming in eighth place, and the group is seeking an even better finish this season.