NEW HAVEN, Conn.- The women's fencing team will be traveling to UPenn this weekend to bout in the Elite Invitational, the first competition of the season. 

The Bulldogs have a bye in Round 1 and will start the day in Round 2 against Penn State. In Round 3, they will face off against Notre Dame. After lunch, the Bulldogs bout against the New Jersey Institute of Technology, Ohio State, Johns Hopkins, and Cornell in back-to-back rounds.

The Elite Invitational will be a long day against some stiff competition. Head Coach Haibin Wang says, "starting the season with a challenge lets us be clear about our season goals, and my coaching staff team and all team members are willing to accept this challenge." 

Coach Wang is very excited to see the team bring the past seven weeks of hard work to the strip against some of the best teams in the country. He also highlights the potential of a strong class of first-year students in each of the three squads (epee, saber and foil) and is "full of confidence in them" as they enter the first competition of their collegiate careers. 

Team captain Anna Zhou echoes the sentiment: "I'm so excited for competitions to begin. The season has been off to a great start, especially under the guidance of Haibin, our two new assistant coaches and lift coach. With a strong group of first-years joining the team, I have high expectations for this season. I've seen how hard my team can work, and we are ready to give our 110 percent this weekend."

The Bulldogs will begin fencing at 10:30 am on Saturday. The final round will begin at 6:00 pm.