March 6, 2011
Photo Gallery 
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The top-ranked University of Notre Dame men’s and women’s fencing teams made history during team competition at the Midwest Fencing Conference (MFC) Championships Sunday, becoming the first team to win each of the six weapons being contested.
For the first time in the MFC’s 13-year existence, the Irish outlasted the other 19 teams in each of the six weapon brackets to claim every gold medal, also giving the Irish the outright title on the men’s and women’s side in back-to-back seasons.
In men’s epee action, the Irish squad entered the bracket seeded second and advanced to the championship bout with wins over Xavier (5-1), Cleveland State (5-0) and Northwestern (5-1). Notre Dame then ran into top-seeded Ohio State in the title bout, posting a clean sweep for a 5-0 decision over the Buckeyes.
The Irish also battled Ohio State in each of the other two men’s draws, with the top-seeded Irish foil squad knocking off the Buckeyes 5-2, and the top-ranked sabre squad claiming a 5-4 decision. Foil earned their way into the title fight with decisive wins over Lawrence (5-0), Wayne State (5-1) and Detroit (5-0).
The sabre team claimed their spot in the championships after defeating Minnesota (5-1), Lawrence (5-1) and Northwestern (5-1). In the title bout, the Irish fell behind 4-0 to Ohio State before recovering to reel of five consecutive bout victories to swipe victory from the clutches of defeat.
Women’s action also saw Notre Dame and Ohio State tussle in two of three weapons with the Irish coming out on top in epee (5-2) and sabre (5-3). The epee team reached the final bout with victories over Detroit (5-0), Oberlin (5-2) and Chicago (5-1) while the sabre unit racked up decisions over Lawrence (5-0), Wayne State (5-1) and Chicago (5-3).
The Irish foil team, entering as the draw’s second seeded unit, matched up against Northwestern in the title bout after advancing past Chicago (5-1), Michigan State (5-2) and Ohio State (5-3) in earlier rounds. The Wildcats held an early 2-1 lead in the championship bout before Notre Dame rebounded to take down each of the next four bouts to earn a 5-2 decision.
Both the men’s and women’s teams ended the tournament with the maximum 675 points to help claim the overall team title with 1,350 points. Ohio State concluded the tournament in second with 1,250 points and Northwestern rounded out the top three with 1,190 points.
Off to a great start in postseason play following an unbeaten regular season, the Irish continue their quest for a national championship on Saturday, March 12 as they take part in the NCAA Midwest Regional. The regional will be hosted by Wayne State University in Detroit, Mich. Check back with UND.com for a preview of the two-day event as the Irish try to qualify the maximum 12 fencers for the 2010 NCAA Championship.
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