NORTHAMPTON, Mass. – Wellesley College fencing got the 2015-16 season underway on Saturday at the NEIFC Fall Invitational, hosted by Smith College. "The Big One" is an annual open tournament, allowing fencers to compete as individuals while representing their institutions.

The Blue earned a pair of top-ten finishes on the day. In the epee competition, first year Cassandra Cronin (Johns Creek, Ga.) made the most of her collegiate debut to take eighth overall. Senior Charlotte Treadwell (Burlington, Vt.), first year Hannah Schmidt (Oshkosh, Wis.) also competed in epee for Wellesley, earning 29^th and 55^th place, respectively.

Cronin went 4-2 in pool competition to advance to the bracket as the 21^st seed in the draw. She then put together three consecutive victories to advance to the quarterfinal round, first besting Julia Decerega of Dartmouth in the round of 64, before topping  Valerlla Kudriavtceva of Boston University in the next round and Laura Jarin-Lipschitz of MIT in the final 16. Cronin's run came to an end at the hands of Vassar's Olivia Weiss, as she managed to earn the final touch in a 15-14 match in the quarterfinals.

Junior Jasmine Davis (Long Valley, N.J.) added Wellesley's second top-ten performance in saber. Davis took 10^th, going 5-1 in pool competition before advancing to the round of 16 in the bracket. Davis dispatched Lindsay March of UNH, 15-4, and Ksenia Ryzhova of Dartmouth, also 15-4, before seeing her day come to an end, 15-8, at the hands of MIT's Cordella Avery. Avery went on to win the saber competition. 

Also in saber, sophomore Madeleine Barowsky (Framingham, Mass.) took 25^th for the Blue, while first year Meg Harney (Wilmette, Ill.) was 54^th. 

In foil, Blue first year Jennifer Chien (Chicago, Ill.) enjoyed her first day of collegiate fencing, finishing 13^th overall. Sophomore Taylor Hood (Lexington, Ky.) gave the Blue two top-20 results in foil, taking 19^th place. Also for the Blue, senior Camille Samulski (Brooklyn, N.Y.) took 26^th, while sophomore Vanessa Willoughby (Glen Rock, N.J.) tied for 60^th.

All four foil fencers advanced out of the pools, with Chien and Hood compiling matching records of 5-1, Samulski going 4-2 and Willoughby also grabbing a victory. Following a first round bye, Chien advanced two rounds in the bracket before Bailey Partridge of Sacred Heart ended her day with a 15-12 defeat. Hood and Samulski also earned one victory each in the bracket.

Wellesley fencing is back in action at their first team competition of the season next Sunday at the Vassar invitational.