Wellesley Fencing Closes Season at NCAA Regionals
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – The Wellesley College fencing team closed out the 2010-11 season with a solid performance at the NCAA Northeast Regional, hosted at Vassar College by Sacred Heart University. The Blue boasted two top-13 performances at the event, while sending a school-record nine student-athletes to compete.
Highlighting the trip for Wellesley were seniors Hannah Braaten and Ashley Paquin, who each earned top-13 finishes. Braaten was the top Division-III finisher in the foil competition, while Paquin was second in Division-III in the epee competition. Both fencers advanced through several pools before narrowly missing the final round. Braaten went 11-5 on the day, including going 4-0 and 4-2 in the first two pools. Paquin went 8-8 overall, with a 3-1 record in the first pool.
Also advancing to the second pool for Wellesley were senior foilists Wendy Chin and Tess DeLean and sabre fencers, senior Elizabeth Rowen and junior Zsofia Schweger. Chin went 4-0 in the first pool before ending her day with a #22 ranking. DeLean opened with a 3-1 record in the first pool and finished the competition in 29th place. Rowen was undefeated in the first pool before finishing in 29th place, while Schweger went 3-1 in the opening round and finished 34th overall.
Other Wellesley competitors included seniors Anne Benjamin and Taysir Mahmoud in epee and first-year Dania Wright in sabre. Benjamin picked up two wins in the first pool to finish 37th overall, while Mahmoud earned a win to take 44th place. Wright picked up two wins and a 36th place finish.
Wellesley fencing finished the 2010-11 season with a 22-5 overall record, including a fourth place finish at the New England Championships.