COLUMBUS, Ohio – After the women got the NCAA Championships started on the first two days of the event, it was the men’s turn to take the strips on Saturday, as six Notre Dame fencers competed in the first three rounds of round-robin action.
The Irish are tied on points with Columbia/Barnard, each with 127 points, trailing Harvard which has 141. Through three rounds of competition, five of Notre Dame’s six fencers are in the top 10. Senior Luke Linder led the way for the Irish, as he is in first place in sabre.
MEN’S SABRE
Linder was sensational in his opening day of the championships, going 14-1 in round-robin action to head into tomorrow’s final day in first place. The senior was unblemished through his first two rounds of competition, going 10-0 with his only defeat coming in the final round of the afternoon. Teammate Alexandre Lacaze is currently in eighth place, going 9-6 on the afternoon.
MEN’S FOIL
Just like in sabre, the foil tandem of Ziyuan Chen and Marcello Olivares each finished the day in the top 10 out of 24 after the opening day of bouts. Chen enters the final day tied for sixth with a record of 9-6. Olivares is right behind, posting a mark of 8-7, good enough for 10th place. Both Chen and Olivares will compete in two more rounds of round-robin action before the top four advance to the semifinals in the afternoon.
MEN’S EPEE
Jonathan Hamilton-Meikle impressed in the first day of men’s competition, battling his way to fourth in the standings after going 10-5 on the day. If Hamilton-Meikle remains in the top four he will qualify for the semifinal knockout round on Sunday afternoon. Valentin Matveev also competed for the Irish in epee, posting four wins on the day. Matveev is currently in 20th after day one of bouts.
DAY THREE RESULTS
Sabre (Rounds 1-3)
1. Luke Linder, 14-1 (+41)
8. Alexandre Lacaze, 9-6 (+6)
Foil (Rounds 1-3)
T6. Ziyuan Chen, 9-6 (+10)
10. Marcello Olivares, 8-7 (+6)
Epee (Rounds 1-3)
4. Jonathan Hamilton-Meikle, 10-5 (+14)
20. Valentin Matveev, 4-11 (-7)
TEAM STANDINGS
- Harvard (141)
- Columbia/Barnard (127: +120)
- Notre Dame (127: +115)
- Princeton (106)
- Penn State (104)
UP NEXT
The men will return to the strips for the final two rounds of the round-robin action on Sunday morning. After the two rounds are completed, the top-four finishers will advance to the semifinals starting at 1:30 p.m. ET in the afternoon to wrap up the fourth and final day of the championships.