Huddle

Keys to the Meet: DeCicco Duals

NOTRE DAME, Ind. — The top-ranked University of Notre Dame men’s and women’s fencing teams will return to their home strips this weekend as they host the sixth annual DeCicco Duals at the Castellan Family Fencing Center.
 
What: DeCicco Duals
Where: Castellan Family Fencing Center | Notre Dame, Ind.
When: Jan. 26-27, 2018
Who: Saturday (Varsity): Detroit Mercy, Florida, Lawrence, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Wagner | Sunday (Club): Case Western Reserve, Chicago, Denison, Florida, Indiana, Lawrence, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Purdue
Twitter: @NDFencing

DeCicco Duals Details

Notre Dame hosts the sixth annual DeCicco Duals this weekend at the Castellan Family Fencing Center. The Irish will host a five-team varsity competition Saturday, followed by varsity and club competition on Sunday. Bouts will begin at 9 a.m. ET Saturday and 8 a.m. ET Sunday.
 
Notre Dame Schedule of Events
Saturday

9 a.m. — vs. Lawrence
10 a.m. — men vs. Northwestern; women vs. Wagner
11 a.m. — vs. Detroit Mercy
Noon — vs. Wayne State
1 p.m. — vs. Florida

Sunday
8 a.m. — vs. Case Western Reserve
9 a.m. — vs. Chicago
10 a.m. — vs. Purdue
11 a.m. — vs. Indiana
Noon — vs. Michigan State
1 p.m. — vs. Michigan
2 p.m. — vs. Denison

Last Time Out

The Irish showed strength against the nation’s top teams at last weekend’s St. John’s and Philadelphia invitationals. Both men and women went 4-1 on Saturday in at St. John’s, while the men were 3-0 and the women 2-1 on Sunday at Penn. Notably, the Irish men defeated No. 2 Harvard, No. 3 Penn State, No. 4 Columbia, No. 6 Yale, No. 7 Ohio State and No. 8 St. John’s over the course of the weekend, while the women earned ranked wins over No. 3 Columbia, No. 5 Ohio State and No. 7 Harvard.

Conference Honors

After leading the Irish to strong performances over the weekend, freshman foilist Amita Berthier earned ACC Women’s Fencer of the Week recognition, while junior epeeist Ariel Simmons copped the ACC Men’s Fencer of the Week title.

Berthier led the Irish in wins over the weekend, helping the Irish to five wins — three over ranked opponents. Berthier finished the week with a 19-2 record, including a 6-0 mark in two matches against third-ranked Columbia, last year’s runner-up at the NCAA Championships.

Simmons, a two-time First Team All-American, helped lead the Irish men to wins over five ranked opponents, going 13-5 on the weekend — including 11-4 in those wins.

Rankings

College Fencing 360 released its first coaches’ poll of the season on Jan. 18, with both Irish teams topping the rankings. The Notre Dame women earned 149 out of a possible 150 voting points to earn the No. 1 ranking for the 29th time in the poll’s 19-year history (most ahead of Penn State with nine). The men earned 147 voting points and topped the poll for the 18th time (most ahead of Penn State’s 17).

Men’s Rankings
1. Notre Dame
2. Harvard
3. Penn State
4. Columbia
5. Princeton
6. Yale
7. Ohio State
8. St. John’s
9. Pennsylvania
10. Duke

Women’s Rankings
1. Notre Dame
2. Northwestern
3. Columbia
4. Penn State
5. Ohio State
6. Princeton
7. Harvard
8. Duke
9. Pennsylvania
10. Temple

 

–ND–