March 21, 2009
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – The Irish moved past rival Ohio State to take over second place at the 2009 NCAA Championship inside the Multi-Sports Facility on the campus of Penn State. Penn State currently leads with 156 points, while the Irish, with 140 points, sit 16 points adrift of the Nittany Lions. Ohio State is in third with 139 points.
The women’s epee contingent led the Irish on day three as sophomore Ewa Nelip (Katowice, Poland) and freshman Courtney Hurley (San Antonio, Texas) combined to post a 24-4 mark. Nelip went 11-3 while Hurley recorded an impressive 13 wins against just one loss, good for first place on the individual leader board. Nelip’s 11 wins put her in fourth. The duo will fence in rounds 5-7 tomorrow as each looks to book a place in the semifinals in their quest to capture NCAA gold.
Hayley Reese (Crestwood, Ky.) and Adrienne Nott (Pittsford, N.Y.) also reached the 20-win plateau on day one of women’s competition as the teammates combined to post a 20-8 mark. Reese went 12-2 on the day, putting her in third through the first four rounds, while Nott finished with an 8-6 record, placing her in ninth. With a top-12 finish, Nott would earn the fourth All-America honor of her career.
Eileen Hassett (Beaverton, Ore.) and Sarah Borrmann (Beaverton, Ore.) combined for 12 sabre wins on the day, with Hassett earning seven of those wins and Borrmann chipping in with five. The Irish duo earned a split (2-2) with Penn State’s Monica Aksamit and Caitlin Thompson, with Hassett winning the final bout versus Thompson, 5-3. Hassett stands in 11th, while Borrmann is 16th.
The 2009 NCAA Fencing Championship comes to a close tomorrow, March 22 with women’s rounds 5-7 and the medal rounds. Pool play opens at 9:30 a.m., while the gold medal bouts will take place at 2:00 p.m. The gold medal bouts will be streamed live via the NCAA’s website at http://www.ncaa.com/sports/c-fenc/ncaa-c-fenc-body.html. Updates will be made periodically on und.com and can be accessed at http://www.und.com/sports/c-fenc/spec-rel/031909aab.html. Complete standings and result tables are posted at www.prisedefer.com.
–ND–