SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Notre Dame Fencing put itself in striking position for a team national championship after closing out the third day of the 2022 NCAA Fencing Championships on their home strips at the Joyce Center.
The Irish completed the first three rounds of men’s épée, foil, and sabre. Following Sunday’s fourth and fifth rounds, the top four finishers will advance to the afternoon’s semifinals on the championship strip in Purcell Pavilion. At the conclusion of the men’s championship bouts in each weapon, a team champion will be crowned.
Notre Dame finished the day on top of the team standings with a total of 155 points. They hold a 17-point lead over second-place Columbia/Barnard. In third place sits Harvard with 137 points.
Men’s Épée
Hunter Candreva and Stephen Ewart finished the first three rounds of épée on a high note, going a combined 7-1 in the final round. The Irish struggled in the first round, only clinching three victories between the two of them, but would rebound nicely to close out the second and third rounds on a high note. Candreva would finish 8-7 and Ewart would go 7-8 on the day.
With two rounds to go on Sunday, Candreva sits in ninth place in the weapon class, while Ewart is in 12th.
Men’s Foil
Highlighting the foil competition was Nick Itkin’s nine consecutive victories to finish 11-4 on the day. Andrew Machovec would secure eight wins of his own during the first day of competition.
Itkin sits in fourth place in the foil competition with two rounds to fence on Sunday, while Machovec finished the day in ninth.
Men’s Sabre
The sabre competition was led by defending national champion Luke Linder, who won four bouts in the second round en route to his 10 victories on the day. Jared Smith finished with nine wins through the first three rounds of competition.
Following today’s three rounds, Linder sits in sixth place, while Smith finished the day in seventh place.
Next Up
The men will conclude the 2022 championship with rounds 4 and 5 on Sunday at the Joyce Center. The preliminary bouts will be hosted in the Joyce Center’s North Dome before transitioning to Purcell Pavilion for the semifinal and final bouts in each weapon. The competition begins at 9 a.m. ET and tickets can be purchased at UND.com/BuyTickets.
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