PHILADELPHIA, Pa.- The Hunter College women's fencing team opened its 2026-27 season Saturday at the Nikki Franke Classic, hosted by Temple University, with five Hawks advancing to the main tournament's direct elimination rounds against a competitive field featuring NCAA Division I, II and III programs.

The tournament featured fencers from several Division I programs, including Penn, Penn State, Boston College, Sacred Heart, Temple, NJIT and Fairleigh Dickinson, providing Hunter with an early test against high-level competition.

Brean Tobin led the Hawks with a 22nd-place finish in women's foil, competing against a field of 55 fencers. Tobin opened the tournament with matching 3-2 records in her first two pools, earning a bye into the round of 32. There, she faced Temple's Veronika Shick in a competitive bout before falling 15-7.

Julia Stenger also delivered a strong performance in foil, finishing 32nd overall. After advancing through pool competition, Stenger earned a convincing 15-7 victory over Haverford's Samantha Kelling in the round of 64. She then faced seventh-seeded Kirstin Naranjo of Wagner in the round of 32, where her tournament run ended with a 15-7 defeat.

In women's epee, Betzabe Granados placed 42nd out of 62 competitors, highlighted by a victory over a Division I opponent from Penn during pool competition. Granados advanced to the round of 64 before falling to Grace Hicks of Stevens.

Agyebea Larbi made her Nikki Franke Classic debut with a 48th-place finish in epee. Larbi advanced through pool competition to secure a spot in the direct elimination rounds, where she faced Temple's Grace Smith in the round of 64.

Rounding out Hunter's performances, Kehinde Ayinde placed 37th in a field of 60 competitors in women's sabre. After a challenging opening pool, Ayinde rebounded with two victories in the second round to advance to the elimination bracket. She faced Johns Hopkins' Adele Dai in the round of 64, falling 15-7.

The Hawks return to actio on Nov. 1 at the NJIT Invitational.