MADISON, NJ –  The Hunter College women's fencing team ended the day 2-4 to capture fifth place at the EWFC Dual Championships hosted by Drew University on Sunday, February 12. Sophomore Jillian Melnick was outstanding for the Hawks, going 17-1 in action as she lost one bout on the day.

Hunter 19, Yeshiva 8
The Hawks topped the Macs as Hunter claimed decisive 6-3 wins in both the sabre and epee as well as a 7-2 win in the foil. In the foil, Natalia Dittren paced the team, winning three bouts while Naja Fandal and Irene Yenko each won two. The epee saw Samantha Li, Canny Fung and Wendy Mak each win two bouts apiece while Monica Yuen and Jillian Melnick each won three bouts in the sabre, giving Hunter the 19-8 victory.

Hunter 16, Drew 11
Hunter picked up a 5-4 win in the foil against the Rangers as Dittren won three of her bouts and Yenko nabbed one to take the division. The Hawks also won the epee by a score of 5-4 as Li and Fung won two bouts while Mak earned a decisive 5-2 victory in the final bout of the match to give Hunter the win. Melnick led the way once more in the sabre, winning all three of her bouts while Yuen won two and Adithi Mohan prospered in one, giving Hunter a 6-3 division win and 16-11 victory.

Stevens 20, Hunter 7
The Ducks grabbed a 8-1 win in the foil to get things going as Yenko was the sole Hawk to win a bout in the division loss. Mak and Fung also won a bout each in the epee while Melnick's dominance continued in the sabre as the sophomore won three of her bouts and Yuen won one in the 20-7 loss.

CCNY 15, Hunter 12
The Hawks suffered a heartbreaking 15-12 loss against the CCNY Beavers. CCNY took a 7-2 advantage in the foil as Fandal and Dittren were the only Hawks to win a bout in the round. The epee proved to be a much closer affair as CCNY edged the Hawks, 5-4 with Mak winning a pair of bouts and Fung and Li winning one each. The Hawks earned a convincing 6-3 victory in the sabre with Melnick capturing three bouts, Yuen won two and Mohan won one but the early deficit proved too great to overcome.

Haverford 20, Hunter 7
Haverford limited Hunter to just three winning bouts in the foil as Yenko won two and Dittren recorded one in the 6-3 loss. Hunter didn't manage a win in the epee but dropped the sabre 5-4 as Melnick capture three bouts and Yuen won one as Hunter lost 20-7.

John Hopkins 23, Hunter 4
The Hawks were unable to earn a victory in the foil but Fung and Melnick each won two bouts in the epee and sabre respectively as the Hawks fell 23-4.

The Hawks return to EWFC action next week as Stevens Institute of Technology hosts the EWFC Individual Championships in Hoboken, NJ on Sunday, Feb. 19. All-Conference honors will be bestowed upon 27 fencers, nine in each of the three weapons categories, at the conclusion of the day's action.

Final Standings from EWFC Duals:
6-0: Johns Hopkins University
5-1: Stevens Institute of Technology
4-2: Haverford College
3-3: City College of New York
2-4: Hunter College
1-5: Drew University
0-6: Yeshiva University