Jan. 23, 2011
JAMAICA, N.Y. – The University of Notre Dame fencing team enjoyed a perfect day at the St. John’s Duals on Sunday in Taffner Field House. Both the men’s and women’s squads ended the day with matching 5-0 records and beat the second-seeded team in each of their respective polls.
The men got their five wins with victories over fifth-ranked Ohio State (17-10), fourth-ranked Penn State (20-7), second-ranked Harvard (16-11), third-ranked St. John’s (15-12) and eighth-ranked Columbia. The women knocked off 10th-ranked Ohio State (18-9), second-ranked Penn State (15-12), third-ranked Harvard (16-11), fifth-ranked St. John’s (15-12) and sixth-ranked Columbia (14-13).
After the weekend’s events the men sit with a record of 10-1, while the women ended with a perfect mark of 11-0.
Men’s Individual Results
James Kaull again led the way for the men’s epee squad at the Duals. He concluded the day’s bouts with a mark of 10-4, including a crucial 3-0 sheet against Harvard. He now sits at 22-7 overall on the season. Jacob Osborne put together a perfect day, ending with a 6-0 record with perfect 3-0 marks against Penn State and St. John’s. Greg Schoolcraft (6-4), Brent Kelly (5-3), Michael Rossi (4-2) and Jack Piasio (0-1) rounded out the Irish epeeists.
In foil, the men used a very balanced attack with six different fencers earning a win and five of those getting to the five-win plateau. Reggie Bentley (7-2) led the way but was closely followed by Ariel DeSmet (5-1), Zach Schirtz (5-2), Enzo Castellani (5-4) and Steve Kubik (5-5). Nicholas Kubik finished the day with a mark of 3-1 to close out the rotation.
In sabre, Avery Zuck dominated the competition, posting a perfect 12-0 record on the day. He earned clean 3-0 sheets against Ohio State, Penn State, Harvard and St. John’s before resting for the match against Columbia. Barron Nydam (5-8), Jason Choy (5-7), Keith Feldman (3-0), Alexander Coccia (2-0) and Kevin Hassett (2-1) rounded out the Irish competitors.
Women’s Individual Results
The women’s epee team had to battle at the Duals, winning three of the five matches on the day. Courtney Hurley (13-2) and Ewa Nelip (10-5) again anchored the top of the rotation, but Diane Zielinski (1-9) and Phenix Messersmith (0-5) struggled to get going against their opponents. Hurley improved her season record to 26-4, while Nelip bumped her mark to 24-7.
In foil, wins were spread out amongst all the fencers. Hayley Reese (6-3) posted the most wins of any of the Irish foilists, followed closely by Grace Hartman (5-2), Rachel Beck (5-3), Darsie Malynn (4-4), Adriana Camacho (3-3) and Radmila Sarkisova (2-5). The squad ended the weekend with a bout record of 65-34 overall.
The women’s sabre squad turned in three very crucial 7-2 victories for the Irish, helping lead to the 18-9 team win over Ohio State, 15-12 win over Penn State and 14-13 win over Columbia. Lian Osier and Eileen Hassett both reached the 10-win mark on the day, finishing with 11-4 and 10-4 records, respectively. Sarah Borrmann ended the day at 7-8 while Abigail Nichols concluded at 1-0.
Notre Dame returns to the strip next Saturday and Sunday (Jan. 29-30) as it plays host to the Notre Dame Duals. A live blog of the competition will be carried on und.com with a complete recap of each day following conclusion of competition.
Complete Irish Results (Men):#1 Notre Dame def. #5 Ohio State 17-10 (MS: 7-2, MF: 6-3, ME: 4-5)#1 Notre Dame def. #4 Penn State 20-7 (MS: 6-3, MF: 6-3, ME: 8-1)#1 Notre Dame def. #2 Harvard 16-11 (MS: 4-5, MF: 5-4, ME: 7-2)#1 Notre Dame def. #3 St. John's 15-12 (MS: 4-5, MF: 6-3, ME: 5-4)#1 Notre Dame def. #8 Columbia 22-5 (MS: 8-1, MF: 7-2, ME: 7-2)
Complete Irish Results (Women):#1 Notre Dame def. #10 Ohio State 18-9 (WS: 7-2, WF: 6-3, WE: 5-4)#1 Notre Dame def. #2 Penn State 15-12 (WS: 4-5, WF: 7-2, WE: 4-5)#1 Notre Dame def. #3 Harvard 16-11 (WS: 7-2, WF: 4-5, WE: 5-4)#1 Notre Dame def. #5 St. John's 15-12 (WS: 4-5, WF: 5-4, WE: 6-3)#1 Notre Dame def. #6 Columbia 14-13 (WS: 7-2, WF: 3-6, WE: 4-5)
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