March 3, 2009

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ - The Johns Hopkins women's fencing team went 16-1 at the 81st annual National Intercollegiate Women's Fencing Association (NIWFA) Championship to finish second behind #8 Temple. The Blue Jays claimed the Army Trophy as the top Division III team for the fourth time under eighth-year head coach James Murray. Hopkins finished second in the Foil and Sabre, and fourth in the Epee.

Hopkins took silver in the Foil behind strong performances by senior Grace Fried (Forest Hills, NY/Stuyvesant), junior Katie Kim (Garden City, NY/Garden City) and freshman Jen Hession (Morristown, NJ/Morristown). Both Fried and Kim medaled on the day with third and ninth place finishes respectively, while Hession advanced to the finals.

In the Epee, the Blue Jays claimed fourth behind a runner-up finish for freshman Lauren Chinn (Honolulu, HI/Punahou School). And in the Sabre, Hopkins claimed silver. Sophomore Mary Vitale (Hampton, NJ/Voorhees) took silver, while sophomore Alysson Mondoro (Holmdel, NJ/Holmdel) also medaled with a fourth place finish. Sophomore Laura Gelston (New York, NY/Phillips Exeter Academy) advanced to the finals and finished in 14th place.

In addition to her bronze medal, Fried was named to the NIWFA All-Academic team for the first time in her career.

Hopkins returns to action on Saturday, March 7 at the NCAA Regionals hosted by Drew University in Madison NJ.