March 24, 2012
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Aided by a 48-point day, the University of Notre Dame fencing team remains in third place with 130 total points after Saturday’s action at the 2012 NCAA Championship at the French Field House. Men’s foil led the Irish charge with 21 points (out of a possible 28) on the day.
Ohio State pulled ahead for first place with 149 total points, while Princeton trails by 14 in second with 135. Penn State and St. John’s round out the top five, remaining tied for fourth with 122 points.
Enzo Castellani (Keller, Texas) led the charge for the Irish foil, posting a 12-2 record on the day with a +29 indicator to hold first place after the day. The highlight win on Saturday came with a 5-2 victory over Princeton’s Alexander Mills, who also finished the day with a 12-2 mark.
Reggie Bentley (Little Rock, Ark.) finished the day with a 9-5 record and +13 indicator to place eighth. He did not record any sweeps during his first four rounds, but did post an important 5-4 win over Castellani in the first round to get his day off to a quick start.
In men’s sabre, Kevin Hassett (Beaverton, Ore.) paced the Irish with a record of 8-6 with a +7 indicator. The Notre Dame sophomore currently sits in sixth overall. He posted important wins over both Penn State’s Adrian Bak (5-1) and Ohio State’s Rhys Douglas (5-3).
Jason Choy (Basking Ridge, N.J.), meanwhile, finished his day with a 7-7 record and +1 indicator to place 13th after Saturday. Ohio State’s Max Stearns leads the weapon after putting together a 13-1 record with a +34 indicator.
James Kaull (Washington, D.C.) sits sixth in men’s epee after finishing with a 10-4 record on the day with a +14 indicator. The highlight of his day included earning wins over Princeton’s Jonathan Yergler (5-4), last year’s NCAA gold medalist, and Edward Kelley (3-2). Michael Rossi (White Plains, N.Y.) struggled in his first taste of the NCAA Championship, finishing with a record of 2-12 and a -24 indicator.
Ohio State’s Marco Cavevari leads the epee with a 13-1 record and +30 indicator while Columbia’s Alen Hadzic sits in second at 11-3 with a +27 indicator.
Men’s fencing action concludes Sunday with rounds five through seven of round robin play. Following the completion of those rounds, the top-four finishers in each weapon will fence semifinal 15-touch bouts, with the winners fencing to determine the individual champion, and the losers being awarded a tie for third place. An institution’s place in the championship will be based on points earned by each individual win in pool play only.
Check back with UND.com for a complete recap of the final day of the Championship. Fans also can follow the Irish by checking live stats at http://www.prisedefer.com/NCAA or getting updates through @NDSIDBrent on Twitter.
2012 NCAA Championship Overall Team Standings - Day Three:1 Ohio State University 1492 Princeton University 1353 NOTRE DAME 1304 Pennsylvania State University 1224 St. John's University 1226 Harvard University 1067 Pennsylvania, University of 938 Columbia/Barnard 819 Duke University 5710 Northwestern University 5211 Stanford University 4512 Temple University 4013 Yale University 3814 Brown University 3415 Cornell University 1815 U.S. Air Force Academy 1817 Sacred Heart University 1718 UNC, Chapel Hill 1119 Boston College 1020 Wayne State University 921 New York University 722 Vassar College 623 M.I.T. 524 Brandeis University 425 U.C. San Diego 1
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