WELLESLEY, Mass. – Wellesley College and Dorothy Towne Fieldhouse hosted the 2016 New England Intercollegiate Fencing Conference (NEIFC) Championships on Saturday afternoon, as fencers from across the region battled to compete for the overall title team and individual titles in foil, epee and sabre.
The host Blue finished in seventh place in the team standings, registering 46 victories in 102 bouts. Individually, Wellesley's top performance came from Taylor Hood (Lexington, Ky.), as the sophomore took fifth overall in foil thanks to a +9 touch ratio and seven wins in her 11 bouts. She advanced to the finals, winning four of her five bouts in the round before bowing out 15-4 in direct elimination.
Boston College captured the team championship, winning 87 bouts. The Eagles were followed by MIT in second, Brandeis in third, Tufts in fourth, Vassar in fifth, Dartmouth in sixth and the host Blue in seventh. Massachusetts, Mount Holyoke and Smith rounded out the top ten.
Wellesley won a total of 19 bouts in foil, registering a +28 touch ratio as a squad to take sixth in the foil standings. In epee, the Blue racked up 12 victories to take eighth, despite a -25 touch ratio. Wellesley also finished in eighth in sabre, winning 15 bouts with a -15 touch ratio.
First year Jennifer Chien (Chicago, Ill.) earned eight wins in foil, registering a +25 touch ratio to finish eleventh overall and fourth in the B Pool. Chien also captured a bout in the finals pool. Senior Camille Samulski (Brooklyn, N.Y.) took eighth in the C Pool with four bout victories and -6 touch ratio.
In epee, Wellesley's top performance came from senior Charlotte Treadwell (Burlington, Vt.). Treadwell took eighth in the A pool with five bout wins and an even touch ratio. In the B Pool, first year Cassandra Cronin (Johns Creek, Ga.) had a strong showing with seven bout wins and a +9 touch ratio to finish sixth in the pool. Sophomore Hannah Schmidt (Oshkosh, Wis.) also competed in 11 bouts for the Blue in epee.
In sabre, first year Tiffani Ren (New York, N.Y.) earned a win for the Blue in the A pool, while sophomore Madeleine Barowsky (Framingham, Mass.) had the best showing for the squad with nine wins and a +24 touch ratio in the B pool, finishing 10th overall after winning a bout in the finals. First year Meg Harney (Wilmette, Ill.) also registered five wins and a +4 touch ratio to finish sixth in the C pool.
Wellesley fencing will conclude the season on Sunday, March 13 at the NCAA Northeast Regional. Qualified fencers will head to Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. for the event.
