Johns Hopkins men’s fencing opened its season Oct. 25, 2026, in Philadelphia, where Nathan Kim tied for third at the Coach Nikki Franke Classic in his collegiate debut.
Kim finished third out of 78 epeeists after going 9-1 in pool play and 4-1 in direct elimination. He fell in the semifinals, but his finish was the highest by a Division III fencer in the epee.
Epee Results
Leo He finished 22nd with a combined 7-5 record, while Athreya Aravind placed 30th with a 6-6 record in his first collegiate event. Jamie Knox tied for 35th at 5-6, and freshman Jerry Zheng finished 52nd with a 3-8 record.
Foil and Sabre Results
Freshman August Tang led the Johns Hopkins foilists by finishing 18th out of 63 fencers. He went 8-2 in pool play and 0-1 in direct elimination, while Andric Borna finished 23rd with a 6-6 record.
Borna lost in the round of 32 to eventual champion Elijah Onik of Boston College. In sabre, freshman Alexander Pi led Johns Hopkins with an 11th-place finish out of 79 fencers after going 8-2 in pool play and 2-1 in direct elimination before falling to runner-up Flavio Vinci of Wagner.
Pi was the only Division III sabrist to finish in the top 25. Noah Zeng finished 30th with a 7-5 record, while Cyrus Contractor placed 44th with a 3-8 record in his collegiate debut.
Next Meet
Johns Hopkins returns to action at the Drew Invitational on Saturday, Nov. 7.
Maryland Sports Blog Take
Nathan Kim’s tie for third led Johns Hopkins across the three weapons at the Coach Nikki Franke Classic. The Blue Jays also placed fencers in the top 25 in foil and sabre, giving the program strong individual finishes across the event as it prepares for the Drew Invitational.
Source: Original report
