Jan. 24, 2010
JAMAICA, N.Y.- The Fighting Irish fencing teams turned in another flawless performance as the men and women combined to post an 8-0 record at the St. John’s Challenge in Taffner Field House on Sunday. Included in those eight wins were two triumphs over defending national champion Penn State.
The men downed the top-ranked Nittany Lions by a score of 16-11. After jumping out to a 2-1 lead in the match, the men never trailed. The second-ranked Notre Dame men’s squad also notched wins over eighth-ranked St. John’s (16-11), seventh-ranked Harvard (19-8) and sixth-ranked Columbia (23-4) to push their season record to 10-0.
The Notre Dame women’s squad defeated the top-ranked squad from Penn State in much more dramatic fashion. After trailing 2-0, the Irish tied the match at 2-2. The teams then traded runs, with Notre Dame pulling ahead by a 6-2 margin, only to see PSU come back with wins in four of the next five bouts to cut Notre Dame’s lead to 7-6. The teams then traded blows until Sarah Borrmann (Beaverton, Ore.) gave the Irish a 13-11 lead with her third sabre win of the match. Again, Penn State rallied to tie the match at 13 wins apiece setting the stage for a dramatic final bout that saw junior foilist Hayley Reese (Crestwood, Ky.) beat Olga Ostatnigrosh 5-2 to earn the 14-13 win for the Irish.
The second-ranked women also earned wins over St. John’s (14-13), third-ranked Harvard (17-10), and fourth-ranked Columbia (18-9) to push their season record to 10-0.
Men’s Individual Results
The men’s epee side was led by freshman James Kaull (Washington, D.C.), who posted a 10-2 record on the day including 3-0 marks against Columbia and Penn State. Junior Jacob Osborne (Colleyville, Texas) started the in the wins over Harvard, Penn State and Columbia and turned in a 6-2 record that was highlighted by a 2-0 mark against Penn State. Junior Greg Schoolcraft (San Jose, Calif.) added five wins and junior captain Andrew Seroff (Boulder, Colo./Boulder) added two wins to round out the epee contingent.
The men’s foil team, which posted 28 wins against just eight losses on the day, was led by sophomore Gerek Meinhardt (SanFransicso, Calif.), who posted an 8-1 record including 3-0 showings versus St. John’s and Harvard. Sophomore Enzo Castellani (Keller, Texas) went 6-1 on the day while his classmate Reggie Bentley (Little Rock, Ark.) went 4-2. Juniors Steve Kubik (San Antonio, Texas) and captain Zach Schirtz (Rochester, N.Y.) combined for a 10-4 mark with each recording five wins.
Notre Dame’s junior All-American duo of Barron Nydam (Rancho Sante Fe, Calif.) and Avery Zuck (Beaverton, Ore.) led the men’s sabre squad. Nydam had eight wins as he went 2-1 in all four matches while Zuck finished with six wins, including a 2-0 mark against Harvard. Freshman Jason Choy (Basking Ridge, N.J.) was an even 5-5. Sophomores Keith Feldman (Stony Brook, N.Y.) and Marcel Frenkel (San Paulo, Brazil) proved effective when they were subbed in, as Feldman finished with a 3-0 record and Frenkel 2-0.
Women’s Individual Results
In women’s epee, sophomore Courtney Hurley (San Antonio, Texas/Earl Warren) turned in a 9-3 record on the day including a 3-0 mark versus Columbia. Senior captain Kelley Hurley (San Antonio, Texas) posted an 8-3 mark that included a 3-0 performance against Columbia and a 2-0 mark versus Harvard. With the eight wins, K. Hurley topped the 150-career wins plateau (she is now 154-23). Sophomore Diane Zielinski (Bernardsville, N.J.) started all four matches and chipped in with four wins.
Reese, the hero of the Penn State match, led the women’s foil team with a 10-1 record on the day including 3-0 marks versus Columbia and St. John’s. Sophomore Darsie Malynn (Grapevine, Texas) had six wins, including an important win notched when she was subbed into the St. John’s match that helped the Irish edge the Red Storm, 14-13. Sophomore Radmilla Sarkisova (Grand Rapids, Mich.) added three wins, while freshman Grace Hartman (St. Paul, Minn.) secured four victories.
Borrman led the women’s sabre team with ten wins on the day, posting 3-0 records against Harvard and rival Penn State. Junior Eileen Hassett (Beaverton, Ore.) added five wins, while freshman Abigail Nichols (Concord, Mass.) chipped in with three wins. Sophomore Beatriz Almeida (Chappagua, N.Y.) also had a win.
The Irish return to the strip on Jan. 30-31 at the Northwestern Duals in Evanston, Ill. A complete recap of Notre Dame’s performance at the event will be posted on und.com.
Notes: The men’s squad now owns a 54-match winning streak dating back to the 2008 Northwestern Duals (last lost to Penn State), which is the fourth longest unbeaten streak in program history … carrying over from last season, the Irish women now own a 34-match winning streak, which is the sixth longest streak in program history.
Complete Irish Results (Men)#2 Notre Dame def. #8 St. John's 16-11 (MS 5-4; MF 8-1; ME 3-6)#2 Notre Dame def. #7 Harvard 19-8 (MS 6-3; MF 7-2; ME 6-3)#2 Notre Dame def. #1 Penn State 16-11 (MS 4-5; MF 6-3; ME 6-3)#2 Notre Dame def. #5 Columbia 23-4 (MS 8-1; WF 7-2; ME 8-1)
Complete Irish Results (Women)#2 Notre Dame def. St. John's 14-13 (WS 5-4; WF 6-3; WE 3-6)#2 Notre Dame def. #3 Harvard 17-10 (WS 5-4; WF 6-3; WE 6-3)#2 Notre Dame def. #1 Penn State 14-13 (WS 5-4; WF 5-4; WE 4-5)#2 Notre Dame def. #4 Columbia 18-9 (WS 4-5; WF 6-3; WE 8-1)
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