Jan. 15, 2016
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame fencing program will host its only true regular-season home event of the year this weekend as it welcomes varsity and club teams from across the country to take part in the third annual DeCicco Duals at the Castellan Family Fencing Center.
WHAT: DeCicco Duals
WHERE: Castellan Family Fencing Center – Notre Dame, Ind.
WHEN: January 16-17, 2015 | Competition begins at 8 a.m. ET both days
LIVE RESULTS (Saturday only)
TWITTER: @NDFencing
DeCicco Duals Download
The Irish will host the third installment of the DeCicco Duals this weekend, matching up against varsity teams on Saturday and club teams on Sunday. Notre Dame, Sacred Heart, NJIT, Wayne State, Detroit, Lawrence and Florida’s club squad will fence on Day 1, while Notre Dame’s varsity, Florida, Clemson, Navy, Michigan, Michigan State, Indiana, Oakland and McKendree will compete on the club day on Sunday.
Schedule of Events
Below is Notre Dame’s weekend schedule:
Saturday (Varsity)
9:15 a.m. – ND vs. Detroit
10:30 a.m. – ND vs. Wayne State
11:45 a.m. – ND vs. Sacred Heart
1 p.m. – ND vs. NJIT
2:15 p.m. – ND vs. Lawrence
3:30 p.m. – ND vs. Florida (club)
Sunday (Club)
8 a.m. – ND vs. McKendree
9 a.m. – ND vs. Oakland
10 a.m. – ND vs. Navy
11 a.m. – ND vs. Clemson
Noon – ND vs. Indiana
1 p.m. – ND vs. Michigan State
2 p.m. – ND vs. Michigan
3 p.m. – BYE
4 p.m. – ND vs. Florida
Last Time Out: Penn Elite Invitational
The Irish dominated at their official season opener at the Penn Elite Invitational on November 21. The Irish women swept the field to earn a 5-0 record, while the men finished 4-1, which is where both teams sit heading into Saturday’s varsity competition. Both teams will again meet NJIT, which the Irish women defeated 24-3 at Penn, while the men earned a 22-5 decision.
Who To Watch For
Freshman foilist Sabrina Massialas and senior epeeist Catherine Lee helped lead the Irish women with 13-2 individual records at Penn, while sophomore sabreuse Francesca Russo posted a 12-1 mark and freshman sabreuse Tara Hassett went 12-3. The women’s foil and sabre squads have fared best through the season’s first event, earning 30-15 and 32-13 records, respectively.
For the men, sabreurs John Hallston (10-3) and Jonah Shainberg (10-4) and foilist Axel Kiefer (10-2) posted impressive performances. The men’s foil squad has posted a 30-15 record so far, while the sabre squad boasts a 31-12 mark on the year.
Senior Day
With the DeCicco Duals serving as Notre Dame’s only true regular season home event (Notre Dame will serve as a host site for the Northwestern Duals), the Irish will hold their Senior Day recognition on Saturday at 11:45 a.m. prior to their match with Sacred Heart. Seniors John Hallston (sabre), John Poremski (epee), Garrett McGrath (epee), Victoria Sluka (sabre), Sarah Followill (foil), Catherine Lee (epee) and Nicole McKee (foil) will be honored for their contributions to the Irish fencing program.
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To keep up with Irish fencing, visit UND.com/NDFencing, follow @NDFencing on Twitter and likeNotre Dame Fencing on Facebook.
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Joanne Norell, athletics communications assistant at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since 2014 and coordinates communications efforts for the Notre Dame women’s soccer, men’s tennis, women’s tennis and fencing programs. Norell is a 2011 graduate of Purdue University and earned her master’s degree from Georgetown University in 2013.