Poughkeepsie, N.Y. – The Stevens Institute of Technology women's fencing team went 5-4 across nine matches at the EWFC Championships on Sunday.

The Ducks earned victories over Drew (18-9), Haverford (20-7), Yeshiva (26-1), Hunter (21-6), and CCNY (25-2), while falling to Johns Hopkins (20-7), Vassar (16-11), Tufts (20-7), and Wellesley (17-10) to finish fourth overall.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Stevens opened the day by sweeping all three weapon groups against Drew, posting a 7-2 mark at epee, 6-3 at sabre, and 5-4 at foil. Grace Hicks and Madyson Gavilanes each went 3-0 at epee, with Sofia Stoeckel adding the final victory. Ashlyn Leung went 3-0 at sabre, while Sasha Craine (2-1) and Anastasia Mose (1-2) contributed additional wins. At foil, Emily Zgombic posted a 3-0 record before Akemi Rodriguez closed out the Rangers with a 2-1 mark.

The Ducks were flawless at foil against Hunter, going 9-0 as Zgombic, Rodriguez, and Julia DiPaolo each finished 3-0. Hicks once again went 3-0 at epee, with Stoeckel adding a 2-1 record and Gavilanes securing the final win. At sabre, Craine earned three victories while Leung went 2-1.

Stevens continued its dominance against Yeshiva, finishing unbeaten at both sabre and foil. Craine, Leung, and Mose each posted multiple wins at sabre, while Hicks and Stoeckel went 3-0 at epee. Five different Ducks combined for a 9-0 performance at foil, led by DiPaolo and Rodriguez with three wins apiece. Selita Ikejiheh went 2-0, and Zgombic added the final victory.

The Ducks followed with another strong showing against CCNY, going 9-0 at foil and 8-1 at both sabre and epee. Zgombic and DiPaolo went 3-0 at foil, while Ikejiheh added two wins. At sabre, Craine and Leung each posted 3-0 records, with Mose finishing 2-1. Epee was paced by Hicks and Stoeckel, who each went 3-0, as Katherine Mooney added a 2-1 mark.

In the loss to Johns Hopkins, Stevens was led by the epee squad, which posted a 5-4 record. Hicks continued her strong day with a 3-0 performance, while Stoeckel and Gavilanes each added a victory. At sabre, Craine and Leung went 1-2 to account for the remaining wins.

Against host Vassar, the Ducks earned a 6-3 victory at foil, with Zgombic, DiPaolo, and Rodriguez each going 2-1. Craine added two wins at sabre, while Hicks was a double winner at epee.

Gavilanes went 2-1 at epee against Tufts as the weapon group narrowly fell 5-4. Craine earned two victories at sabre, with Leung (sabre), Hicks (epee), and Stoeckel (epee) each contributing a win. Stevens closed the afternoon against Wellesley, earning a 6-3 mark at epee while foil was edged 5-4. Hicks, Stoeckel, and Gavilanes all went 2-1, with Zgombic adding two wins at foil.

OF NOTE
Craine recorded the 100th career victory of her sabre career.
Hicks earned her 200th career victory at epee.

UP NEXT
The Ducks return to action on Saturday, February 28, when they travel to Drew University for the NIWFA Championships.