ITHACA, N.Y. – It was a very strong day for the Yale women's fencing team at the NCAA Northeast Regionals at Cornell. The Bulldogs ended the day with two medals, including a gold for first year Sydney Hirsch in the saber, and many strong finishes. As a result, several Yale fencers are in strong positions to earn a bid to the NCAA Championship.
 
Regionals features four rounds of pools with cuts after each round. Only the top 12 make it to the final round, where they must face some of the best competitors on the circuit after having fenced two to three times more bouts than they typically have at regular season tournaments. It is a grueling, hours-long test of fencing ability as well as endurance.
 
Hirsch took home the gold medal in saber. In her three rounds of fencing, she won 18 of her 23 bouts, defeating strong opponents from all over the region to come out victorious. Fellow first year Sophia Zhuang also made the top 10, in an impressive first performance at regionals. Squad Captain Lauren Kim came in right below, finishing 12th. All of the Yale saber squad placed in the top 30% of a very competitive field. 
 
Emme Zhou also made the podium, coming in second in foil. She won 16 of her 23 bouts in her first showing at Regionals. Captain Anna Zhou finished 9th at the last regionals of her Yale career and teammates Camille Pham and Jenny Zhao finished 12th and 27th, respectively. 
 
The epee squad had some strong showings as well, with sophomores Shirley Wang and Joy Ma placing 6th and 8th, respectively. First year Linda Liu also made the top half, placing 25th.
 
Joy Ma reflected on the day, saying that though it was a long and tiring day, she is looking forward to seeing how Yale does at NCAAs after such a great showing at Regionals.
 
The NCAA Championship field will be announced on Tuesday.
 
Full results of the regionals can be found at: https://fencingtimelive.com/tournaments/eventSchedule/59C845D18A3448428F8C2BD10E2B9272#today
 
The NCAA Championship is set for Mar. 19-22 in Detroit, Mich.