Jan. 23, 2013
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame fencing team opens the 2013 season ranked second in the women’s poll and third in the men’s rankings according to the first edition of the CollegeFencing360 Coaches Poll, which was released Tuesday. Notre Dame was the only program in the country to place both its men’s and women’s teams in top-three of the poll.
Ohio State, the 2012 NCAA champion, earned the top spot in the men’s poll with 123 voting points (five first-place votes), while the Buckeye women checked in at the fourth position (120 points). Penn State, Princeton and St. John’s rounded out the top-five on the men’s side.
The Princeton women’s team earned 147 points, including a poll-high eight first-place votes, to top the inaugural women’s rankings. Columbia (third) and Penn State (fifth) bookended Notre Dame and Ohio State, respectively, on the women’s side.
Both Irish squads travel to New York City this weekend to open the 2013 dual schedule. Notre Dame will appear at the St. John’s Duals Saturday before capping the road trip at the NYU Duals Sunday.
CollegeFencing360 Coaches Poll #1 (Jan. 22, 2013)
Men
1. Ohio State – 123 voting points (5 first-place votes)
2. Penn State – 121 (3)
3. Notre Dame – 116
4. Princeton – 108
5. St. John’s – 105 (1)
6. Harvard – 96
7. Columbia – 83
8. Penn – 75
9. Duke -60
10. Stanford – 49
Also Receiving Votes – Sacred Heart 38, Brown 33, Yale 30, North Carolina 18, Air Force 11, MIT 6, UC San Diego 3, Boston College 2, Johns Hopkins 2 and Brandeis 1.
Women
1. Princeton – 147 voting points (8 first-place votes)
2. Notre Dame – 137 (2)
3. Columbia – 121
4. Ohio State – 120
5. Penn State – 111
6. St. John’s – 105
7. Northwestern – 88
8. Harvard – 85
9. Temple – 67
10. Penn – 60
Also Receiving Votes – Duke 56, Cornell 29, Brown 21, Stanford 21, Yale 10, North Carolina 7, Sacred Heart 5, MIT 3, Boston College 2, Stevens Tech 2, UC San Diego 2, and Johns Hopkins 1.
–ND–