MADISON, N.J. – The Brandeis University women's fencing team finished sixth out of 16 teams today at the Northeastern Intercollegiate Women's Fencing Association championships, placing two squads in fifth and one in sixth. Individually, five Judges qualified for the knockout championships, earning one bronze medal and placing another in the quarterfinals.

TEAM RESULTS

• Both the foil and sabre squads finished in fifth place out of the 16-team field, while the epee fencers were sixth overall.
• In the team competition, the sabre squad led the way with 33 wins, just one win behind Stevens Tech. Without All-American Maggie Shealy (Chapel Hill, N.C. / E. Chapel Hill) competing, the Judges showed excellent balance, with sophomore Kat Xikes (Chatham, N.J. / Chatham), first-year Olga Sadova (Swampscott, Mass. / Swampscott) and junior  Calla Lee (Duluth, Ga. / Lambert) each earning 11 wins.
• The foil squad earned 31 victories, also finishing one behind Stevens. The Judges tied with host Drew on total wins, but edged the Rangers on a +86 indicator. Sophomore Hannah Du (Winchester, Mass. / Winchester) had a team-best 12 wins on the afternoon, fencing in the 'B' group, while senior Alex McKee (Nyack, N.Y. / Nyack) added nine victories in the 'A' group. First-years Ella Richards (Harvard, Mass. / Francis W. Parker Charter Essential School) and Livvy Oliveira (Swampscott, Mass. / Swampscott) combined for 10 wins among the 'C' group of fencers.
• The epee squad had 30 wins, finishing one win behind their local rivals from Tufts. First-year Vera Merrill Witte (Ridgewood, N.J / Ridgewood) led the squad with eight wins from the 'A' group, fencing in all 15 rounds. Graduate student Monica Aponte (San Juan, P.R./St. John's School) was 7-3 in 'C' group, while first-year Ryan Weinsier (Northampton, Mass. / Northampton) was 5-0 in reserve. In the 'B' group, sophomore Olivia Bennett (Shrewsbury, Mass. / Worcester Academy) also put together a 5-0 record in relief of junior Bronwyn Rothman-Hall (San Francisco, Calif. / Ruth Asawa School of the Arts), who was 5-5.

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

• The top individual finisher for the Judges was Du, who continued her run into the elimination bracket. Seeded 10^th, she rolled over the seventh seed from Drew, 15-1, and then upset the #2 seed from Hunter, 15-10, to reach the semifinals. Du was edged in the semis, 15-13, by Juliana Wu of Johns Hopkins.
• The only other Brandeis fencer to advance in the DE was Xikes, who was seeded sixth and topped the 11^th seed from Navy, 15-5. She was edged by Steves' Alana Schmitt, 15-11, in the quarters. Schmitt topped Sadova in the opening round, 15-10.
• McKee in the foil and Witte in the epee also dropped their first-round matches.

UP NEXT

• The Judges will compete at the NCAA Northeast Regional Championships at Long Island University on March 10^th.