Foilist Grant Hodges finished the Duke Duals with a record of 6-3.

Irish Men Sweep Through Duke Duals

Feb. 12, 2011

DURHAM, N.C. – The top-ranked University of Notre Dame men’s fencing team posted a perfect 3-0 record Saturday at the Duke Duals. The Irish knocked off North Carolina, Duke and Johns Hopkins, en route to winning the trophy in each weapon.

The Irish got off to a quick start, downing North Carolina in the opening match 18-9. The foil squad turned in the most impressive showing, winning 7-2 over the Tar Heels. Epee ended with a 6-3 advantage while sabre edged out a 5-4 decision.

Against Duke, both the foil and epee squads turned in 7-2 victories, while the sabre again edged out a 5-4 result to capture the team victory, 19-8. The most impressive showing of the day for the Irish, however, came in the final match against Johns Hopkins. The team posted a 23-4 victory that saw both the foil and epee post 8-1 victories and sabre notch a 7-2 win.

Greg Schoolcraft led the epee squad with a final mark of 6-2 on the day, but was closely followed by Jacob Osborne (5-0), Brent Kelly (5-2) and Andrew Seroff (5-2). Reggie Bentley and Steve Kubik, who finished the day with identical 8-1 records, paced the foil. Grant Hodges rounded out the rotation with a record of 6-3.

Four sabreists took to the strip for the Irish, led by Kevin Hassett, who finished the day with a 6-3 record. Avery Zuck ended the day with a record of 5-1, and Alex Coccia and Carl Ianiro both ended with three wins.

While the men sent a small contingent to the Duke Duals, the team also played host to three club teams, facing Chicago, Illinois and Michigan State. The remaining fencers on the men’s team took down Chicago (23-4), Illinois (23-4) and Michigan State (25-2) in easy fashion to conclude a 6-0 day combined.

Jack Piasio and Michael Rossi led epee, as each finished the day with 8-1 records. Chris Pinkowski also impressed, posting a 7-1 record, while James Kaull ended the day with a 1-0 mark.

Nicholas Kubik paced the foilists, ending the day with a 6-0 record. Ariel DeSmet notched four wins, while four other foilists – Enzo Castellani, Nicholas Crebs, Ted Hodges, Zach Schirtz – posted three wins on the day.

Eight sabreists took to the strip, led by Barron Nydam with a 5-0 record. Jason Choy finished just behind with a 4-0 mark, while Alex Buell, Marcel Frenkel, William McGough and Anthony Schlehuber ended with three wins. Keith Feldman and John Plunkett earned two victories apiece.

The top-ranked women, meanwhile, also posted a three-match sweep with a 22-5 victory over Chicago, a 26-1 win over Illinois and a 24-3 win over Michigan State.

Diane Zielinski led the way for the epeeists, finishing the day with a 7-2 record. Phenix Messersmith ended with a 6-3 record, with Caroline Dikibo finishing 5-0 and Stephanie Myers going 2-2.

Adriana Camacho (8-1) and Katie Heinzen (8-1) paced the women’s foilists. Radmila Sarkisova (3-0), Rachel Beck (2-0), Darsie Malynn (2-0), Grace Hartman (1-0) and Hayley Reese (1-0) rounded out the rotation.

Danielle Guilfoyle led the sabreists with a perfect 5-0 record on the day. Four different sabreists reached four wins, as Beatriz Almeida, Abigail Nichols, Kathryn Palazzoto and Marta Stepien each finished with 4-0 ledgers. Julia Kohn (3-0), Sarah Borrmann (1-0), Eileen Hassett (1-0) and Lian Osier (1-0) closed out the sabre rotation.

The men’s team finishes the regular season with an overall record of 29-1, while the women keep their undefeated streak in tact, concluding the season 29-0 and taking their streak to 88 consecutive wins.

The Irish now turn their attention to postseason play, taking to the strip March 5-6 at the Midwest Fencing Championships before beginning NCAA Regional play March 12-13.