PHILADELPHIA, Pa.- The Hunter College men's fencing team opened its 2026-27 campaign Sunday at the Nikki Franke Classic, hosted by Temple University, as David Xing and Steven Zhang represented the Hawks in a competitive field featuring some of the region's top collegiate programs.

The annual tournament brought together fencers from all three NCAA divisions and various fencing clubs, including competitors from Division I programs such as Penn State, Penn, Temple, NJIT and Boston College.

Xing led Hunter in men's foil, placing 46th overall in a field of 64 competitors. He opened the tournament with a strong performance in his first pool, earning a spot in the main competition's direct elimination rounds. Following a challenging second round of pool competition, Xing faced Oliver Po of Haverford College in a closely contested elimination bout but was unable to advance.

In men's epee, Zhang finished 60th out of 78 competitors after advancing through the opening round of pools. Despite facing tougher competition in the second round, Zhang secured a place in the elimination bracket, where he drew fourth-seeded Eslam Osama of Penn State in the round of 64.

Zhang battled against one of the tournament's top competitors before falling 15-7. Osama went on to capture the men's epee championship, highlighting the caliber of competition Zhang faced in his season debut.

The Purple and Gold returns to action on Nov. 1 at the NJIT Invitational.