POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. (November 16, 2021)  – Junior Leigha Capra reached 100 career victories at Epee as the Stevens Institute of Technology women's fencing team posted a 6-2 record Sunday at the Vassar Invitational.

Stevens defeated Sacred Heart University, Denison University, Hunter College, Lafayette University, Wagner College and Army by a combined score of 113-49, posting at least 16 victories in each matchup. The Ducks' lone setbacks were against Division I power Cornell University and Wellesley College. All totaled, Stevens finished 128-88 over the eight-bout day, moving the team's record to 437-237. As a team, the 6-2 mark moved Stevens to 19-6 on the year.

Capra posted a 14-7 record to surpass the 100 career victories. The Fairfield, New Jersey native posted 70 wins in her debut season on Castle Point and has been victorious 37 times this season to bring her career mark to 107-57.

A total of eight student-athletes reached double-digits in wins on the day, with senior Kiera Barnes leading the way with 18 wins at saber. Junior Claire McNeill added 17 wins at epee and senior foilist Kayleigh Kubit joined Capra in posting 14 wins on the day. First-year Arianna Daringa earned 12 wins at saber, while sophomore Alanna Schmitt (saber) and senior Christine Chan (epee) each earned 11 wins. Senior foilist Sara Persau posted 10 victories to round out the double-digit performances. 

Among the three weapons, the epee group led the way with a 46-26 record (0.639 winning percentage), while the saber group finished 45-27 (0.625). The foil group finished 37-35 (0.514) rounded out the Ducks' efforts on the strips as all three weapons finished with a winning record.

vs. Wellesley (Loss 14-13)

• The foil group posted a 2-7 record against Wellesley, with Kubit snagging the only wins. 
• The saber squad balanced out the match with a 7-2 record. Schmitt was a perfect 3-0, while Daringa and Barnes each picked up 2.
• McNeill was a perfect 3-0 at epee, with Capra earning the fourth victory as the group finished 4-5.

vs. Sacred Heart (Win 19-8)

• Stevens posted a narrow 5-4 victory at foil, one of two one-point wins for the group. Kubit was a perfect 3-0, while Persau and first-year Elizabeth MacDonald each added one.
• The Ducks created separation from the Pioneers in the saber matches, posting a 6-3 mark. Barnes, Daringa and Schmitt each went 2-1 in their respective matches.
• The epee group secured the victory over Sacred Heart with an 8-1 performance. Capra and McNeill each went 3-0, while Chan notched a pair of wins.

vs. Cornell (Loss 25-2)

• The Ducks one victory in foil and one at epee against the nationally-ranked Big Red.
• Persau (foil) and McNeill (epee) scored the only wins for the Ducks.

vs. Denison (Win 20-7)

• One of two matches that saw Stevens reach 20 victories, the Ducks scored at least six wins in each weapon. 
• The foil group posted a 7-2 mark with Kubit and Persau joining first-year Sofia Savchuk in posting two wins over the Big Red. Junior Brianna Ellis scored the other win for the Ducks.
• The saber group finished 6-3 with Barnes posted a perfect 3-0 record. Daringa and senior Bayla Gellerstein combined for the other victories. 
• Capra and McNeill added two wins in epee to spur the Ducks on to a 7-2 record. Chan joined sophomore Megha Jain and first-year Renny Victoria in earning one win each.

vs. Hunter (Win 23-4)

• The Ducks' largest victory of the day came against the Hawks, with the foil and saber groups each going 7-2 and the epee squad going a perfect 9-0 for the only unblemished mark for the afternoon.
• Foilists Kubit and first-year Alyssa Ip each went 2-0, while Persau, junior Zoe Casten and first-year Annabelle Crescenzo each added one.
• At saber, Barnes posted the second of four 3-0 marks on the day, while Daringa added a pair of wins. Schmitt and first-year Jia Chen to close out the victories.
• At epee, Capra, Chan and McNeill earned three wins each.

vs. Lafayette (Win 18-9)

• The foil group went 7-2 for the third time. Kubit was a perfect 3-0, while Persau and junior Ashley McDermott each went 2-1.
• The saber bouts were the closest of the match, with the Ducks narrowly posting a 5-4 score. Barnes and Schmitt each went 2-1, with Daringa adding the squad's fifth victory.
• Epee went 6-3 with Capra leading the way with a 2-0 mark. Chan went 2-1, with McNeill and Victoria accounting for the other wins.

vs. Wagner (Win 17-10)

• The foil group led off with a 5-4 record against their counterparts from Wagner. Kubit and Persau each notched two wins, while McDermott added one.
• The saber squad earned the most decisive win of the three weapons, posting a 7-2 record. Barnes again led the way with three wins and Daringa and Schmitt added two each.
• Epee went 5-4 against the Seahawks, with Chan and McNeill each winning two bouts and Capra winning one.

vs. Army (Win 16-11)

• The foil group had a 3-6 record over their counterparts from Army, with Ip, Persau and senior Ashley Yu each winning once. The victory by Yu was her only one of the day.
• The saber team pulled off the best record against the Golden Knights, winning seven of the nine matches. Barnes won all three of her bouts for the fourth time, while Daringa and Schmitt each won once. Gellerstein had her best performance of the afternoon against Army, winning both of her matches.
• Capra's two victories helped epee to a 6-3 record. McNeill also won a pair of bouts for the sixth time, with Victoria and Chan accounting for the other victories.

From the Strips - Head Coach Linda Vollkommer-Lynch

• "It was a great day for Stevens. We defeated three Division I programs in Sacred Heart, Wagner and Lafayette and solid performances from all of our student-athletes. It was also great to see Leigha Capra reach 100 career wins."

Up Nest

• Women's Fencing heads back to the Empire State on Nov. 19 for the Columbia University Invitational.
• The Ducks will square off with the hosting Lions and Johns Hopkins University.

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