Top teams challenge Owls at Philadelphia Invitational

The fencing team went 2-3 during the tournament held at the University of Pennsylvania on Saturday.

Competing against several nationally prominent programs, the Owls finished 2-3 at the Philadelphia Invitational held at the University of Pennsylvania on Saturday.

Temple (14-7) came into the tournament ranked No. 8 in the CollegeFencing 360.com coaches poll. The Owls began the tournament with a 16-11 loss to No. 9 Northwestern University.

Coach Nikki Franke’s team won its next two matches, picking up a 14-13 victory against Duke University, which finished just outside the Top 10 in the latest rankings, and a 21-6 win against Sacred Heart University. Temple’s foil squad went 8-1 against Sacred Heart.

The Owls finished the day with a 14-13 loss to Cornell University, which also received votes in the last poll, and a 19-8 loss to No. 6 Penn.

Temple’s sabre squad was the only weapon that ended with a winning record after the tournament, finishing 3-2 in the five matches. Freshman sabres Kerry Plunkett and Malia Hee finished 9-3 and 7-3, respectively.

Owen McCue can be reached at owen.mccue@temple.edu or on Twitter @Owen_McCue. Follow The Temple News on Twitter @TheTempleNews and @TTN_Sports.

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