March 25, 2001
KENOSHA, Wis. – Notre Dame finished third at the 2001 NCAA Men’s and Women’s Combined Fencing Championships, following Sunday’s final rounds of the women’s competition at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside’s Petretti Fieldhouse.
Notre Dame-the NCAA runner-up each of the previous five years-finished with 153 points while St. John’s ended Penn State’s five-year run as the NCAA champion, with the Red Storm totaling 180 points to 172 for the Nittany Lions (Stanford placed fourth at 139).
Irish sophomore epeeists Meagan Call (Eugene, Ore.) and Anna Carnick (Mishawaka, Ind.) both repeated as All-Americans, with Call just missing out on a spot in the semifinals (she tied for fourth with a 15-8 record but finished fifth, based on the total-point indicators). Carnick won 12 of her 23 bouts to claim the 12th and final All-America spot.
Notre Dame’s foil and sabre fencers finished outside the top 12, with senior sabre captain Carianne McCullough concluding her career with a 15th-place finish (10-13) while sophomore foil captain Liza Boutsikaris (Sparta, N.J.) failed to repeat as an All-American, with a 16th-place finish (8-15). A pair of freshmen rounded out the Irish contingent as 17th-place finishers, with foilist Maggie Jordan (Maplewood, N.J.) and sabre Destanie Milo (Knox, Ind.) each posting 8-15 records.
Call won five of her nine bouts Sunday, including a sweep of Stanford’s Lisa Gore (5-1) and Annie Simpson (5-4) before losing to three top competitors in the Northwestern duo of Kate Rudkin and Jen Greenbaum (both 5-4) and Wayne State’s Marta Sciubisz (5-3).
Carnick likewise swept the Stanford fencers (5-3 vs. Gore, 5-2 vs. Simpson), with her 4-5 Sunday record also including a 5-2 win over Greenbaum (she lost 5-3 to Rudkin and 5-4 to Sciubisz).
McCullough won three of her nine bouts on Sunday while Milo posted a pair of wins on the final day, with Boutsikaris and Jordan each closing with 4-5 marks versus the tough foil field.
Milo (5-3) and McCullough both dropped decisions to defending NCAA champion Caroline Purcell of MIT while Penn State All-American Stephanie Tam topped both Irish sabres by 5-3 scores. McCullough and Milo did manage to knock off Lauren Collett of St. John’s, both by the score of 5-2.
Jordan opened with a 5-3 loss to Stanford’s Iris Zimmerman before upsetting her Cardinal teammate Ute Breden (5-2), followed later in the day by a noteworthy 5-3 win over Midwest rival Marta Roselli of Cleveland State.
Boutsikaris also dropped her bout with Zimmerman (5-2) but closed the day with a pair of victories, including a 5-1 win over Roselli.
Team Final Standings
1. St. John’s 180
2. Penn State 172
3. Notre Dame 153
4. Stanford 139
Women’s sabre final standings
1. Jacobson, Yale (22-1)
2. Purcell, MIT (20-3)
3. Mustilli, St. John’s (18-5)
4. Shaahid, Temple (18-5)
15. McCullough, N.D. (10-13)
17. Milo, N.D. (8-15)
Women’s foil final standings
1. Zimmerman, Stanford (23-0)
2. Rostall, Princeton (20-3)
3. Grochal, Penn State (18-5)
4. Breden, Stanford (17-6)
16. Boutsikaris, N.D. (8-15)
17. Jordan, N.D. (8-15)
Women’s epee final standings
1. Eim, Penn State (21-2)
2. Rudkin, Northwestern (16-7)
3. Takacs, St. John’s (16-7
4. Stevens, St. John’s (15-8, +38)
5. Call, N.D. (15-8, +14)
12. Carnick, N.D. (12-11)