Wellesley Fencing Opens Season at LIU Shark Tank Challenge

BROOKLYN, N.Y. - Wellesley College fencing went 2-3 in five matches on Sunday to open their season at the LIU Shark Tank Challenge.

The foil squad helped pace the Blue, with senior Alexia Gilioli (New York, N.Y.) and sophomore Ella Boodell (Edgemont, N.Y.) each going 13-2 and 12-3 respectively on the day. First year Lily Millard stepped up in her first collegiate match, picking up a pair of wins against Wagner and Drew. 

Senior Kimberly Kimura (Los Angeles, Calif.) went 10-5 in Epee, and first year Sharon Huang (Toronto, Ontario) led the sabre squad with a 10-5 record in her initial collegiate match. First year Grace Xu (Toronto, Ontario), senior Hunter Dodrill (Boca Raton, Fla.), sophomore Makana Burch (Portland, Ore.), sophomore Elena Vona (Millstone, N.J.), and first year Michelle Pan (Arlington, Mass.) all recorded wins for Wellesley fencing throughout the day.

Wellesley 17, Stevens 10

The Blue scored a with a 17-10 win over Stevens. Boodell and Gilioli each went undefeated as the Blue won Foil 6-3. Xu went 3-0 in Epee to bolster the Blue, Kimura went 2-1, and Vona and Pan each picked up a win as Sabre dominated 7-2. Dodrill and Huang each went 2-1 as the Blue narrowly lost 5-4 to Stevens in Sabre. 

Wellesley 12, Wagner 15

Foil won 6-3 against Wagner, with Gilioli earning a 3-0 sweep and Boodell taking two of three matches. Millard recorded her first collegiate win. Kimura picked up a pair of wins in Epee, and Xu scored a win as Wagner won Epee 6-3. Huang paced the Blue in Sabre going 2-1, while Dodrill nabbed a win in the 6-3 sabre win for Wagner.

Wellesley 10, NJIT 17

Boodell earned another 3-0 performance, while Gilioli added a 12th win to the day. Kimura and Xu both took one win as NJIT won 7-2 in Epee. Dodrill led Sabre with two wins and Huang and Burch each won one as Sabre was edged out 5-4 by NJIT. 

Wellesley 13, LIU 14

Gilioli went 3-0 and Boodell earned a win as Foil fell 6-3 to host LIU. Kimura and Xu each went 2-1 in Epee, while a win from Vona gave Epee a 5-4 win over their LIU adversaries. Burch and Huang both won two of their three matches for Sabre, who came up just short 5-4 to LIU. 

Wellesley 20, Drew 7

Boodell and Gilioli each swept yet again and Millard took a win as Foil won 7-2. Kimura led the Epee unit with three wins, while Xu went 2-1 and Pan grabbed a point. Huang went a perfect 3-0 in Sabre, while Dodrill and Burch each contributed two wins to Sabre's 7-2 victory. 

The Blue will next compete Sunday, November 13th at the Vassar Invitational in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.