February 5, 1999

DURHAM, N.C. – The Notre Dame men’s fencing team improved to 16-1 on the season by sweeping all five matches at Duke on Friday. Among the five wins was the landmark 400th-career win for Irish head coach Yves Auriol. Notre Dame beat North Carolina 24-3, Air Force 25-2, Rutgers 20-7, Duke 18-9 and Ohio State 26-1.

The Irish were led once again by the powerful sabre squad, which went 42-3 in the five matches. Freshmen Gabor Szelle and Andre Crompton each were 13-0, while senior All-American and ’98 NCAA champion Luke LaValle was 13-1. Charles Hayes had 14 foil wins, while Stephane Auriol added 11 wins in foil. Carl Jackson and Brian Casas each finished 11-3 in epee.

Auriol’s landmark win came in the 20-7 win over Rutgers. He looks to up that total on Saturday when the Notre Dame women’s fencing team will be in action.