Women lay solid foundation at Ivy Championships in N.Y.

Coming out better than it expected, women’s fencing left the first week of Ivy Championships with a title ring within reach.

Yesterday, the Quakers traveled to Cornell to compete in the first part of the two-week Ivy League Championships, where they went 3-1.

The Red and Blue began the day by taking two of three weapons against No. 9 Harvard en route to a 17-10 victory.

In their next match against Princeton, the Quakers lost some of their momentum, surrendering all three weapons.

Penn came back, however, to secure the next two matches, beating Yale 16-11 and Cornell 17-10.

“We did a lot better than we thought we would,” Dominika Franciszkowicz said.

The sophomore led Penn with a 10-2 record on the day with the sabre, including a 3-0 mark against No. 4 Princeton.

Fresh off the win, Franciszkowicz is looking forward to next week.

“[We will] work on everything, practice more and maybe we’ll get an Ivy Ring this year,” she said.

Coach Andy Ma reiterated her sentiment, adding that he was very pleased with the way the women played.

The men’s team, on the other hand, ridden with injuries, did not fare as well against the same slate.

The Quakers started off strong, defeating sixth-ranked Harvard 15-12, but the success ended there.

Penn succumbed to the Tiger’s roar, losing 18-9 in the second match, and the Bulldog’s bark proved even scarier.

The Red and Blue beat Yale last year in the championship tournament, but were unable to repeat that success. Yale defeated the Quakers in all three weapons, racking up a 17-10 victory.

The day was not all about losses, however, as freshman Evan Prochniak finished with a 7-2 record. His goal, he said, is to sweep all of his bouts next week, leaving him in first place in the Ivy conference.

The Quakers will look to show their strengths on their homecourt at Hutchinson Gym next week, when round two of the Ivy Championship will take place.

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