Foil’s first two places
Kaitlyn Tan took gold and Allison Chen silver: Penn occupied the first two places in foil at the Nikki Franke Classic. For two freshmen opening their college careers, that pairing also gives a concrete answer to who finished behind the champion. Kimberley Jang was fifth and Malak Hamza sixth. Four Penn fencers finished in the top six of the same weapon. Tan’s first place and that distribution together describe the team’s foil result.[1]
Épée produced the same first two places with a different mix of experience. Captain Grace Hu won her second consecutive gold and Victoria Kuznetsov took silver. Collegiate debutants Kira Bardin and Kayla Fang finished 14th and 29th. Here the highest placing began with an experienced captain; the newcomers finished further down the order. Reading these positions alongside the two freshmen’s first and second places in foil separates experience at entry from the result each fencer actually achieved.[1]
Three medal places in saber
In saber, Lila Paul won silver and Cathleen Shi and Leah Blum shared bronze. Penn had no gold in this weapon, while placing three fencers in the top three. Amanda Li’s ninth, Sophie Cao’s 16th and Sophia Zheng’s 29th complete the group’s result. A comparison by gold medals puts épée and foil first. A comparison by the number of fencers in medal positions makes the saber result more visible. These are two distinct measures of the team’s performance on the same day.[1]
Penn’s announcement of nine podium finishes also includes the fifth and sixth places in foil. Keeping the individual ranks beside that total preserves the distinction between golds, shared bronzes and the other high finishes. The concrete feature of this result is that high placings were spread across all three weapons. Those ranks alone do not establish bout margins or the size of any technical advantage over opponents. The next event on the women’s schedule is the Elite Invitational, hosted by Penn on November 14–15.[1]