Jan. 26, 2008

NEW YORK, N.Y. - The third-ranked Notre Dame men's fencing team posted a 5-1 record, including two wins over ranked teams, at the NYU Duals on Saturday at the Cole Sports Center. The No. 1 Fighting Irish women's squad went 4-2. All three combined Notre Dame losses came to ranked opponents.

In the first round, the Notre Dame men defeated Yale by a 23-4 margin before taking care of No. 5 Columbia, 18-9, in the second round. Next up for the Irish was a dominating 25-2 triumph of Stevens Tech. The Irish topped fourth-ranked St. John's, 18-9, in the fourth round and followed that with a 23-4 win over the hosts NYU. Notre Dame suffered its only setback on the day as No. 2 Ohio State edged the Irish 14-13.

Leading the charge for the Irish epeeists was Greg Howard, who went 15-3. Fellow epeeists Karol Kostka and Greg Schoolcraft went 12-5 and 10-6, respectively. Zach Schirtz (10-2) and Jakub Jedrkowiak (10-4) both notched 10 wins in the foil. Notre Dame had two double-digit winners in the sabre as Avery Zuck went 15-3 and Barron Nydam posted a 13-5 record.

Ohio State finished with a perfect 6-0 mark. St. John's posted a 3-2 record, while NYU, Yale and Columbia all went 2-3. Stevens Tech and Wayne State finished 0-4 and 0-5, respectively.

On the women's side, the Fighting Irish took care of Yale, 19-8, in the first round. Notre Dame suffered its first loss of the season when No. 3 Columbia posted a 15-12 victory. The Irish got back on track with a 15-12 win over sixth-ranked Northwestern. Notre Dame then won a tight 14-13 bout over No. 7 St. John's before defeating NYU, 20-7. In the sixth and final round, the Irish suffered a 15-12 setback to No. 2 Ohio State.

Ewa Nelip paced the women's epeeists for the Irish as she went 14-4, while Kimberlee Montoya registered an 11-7 record. Adrienne Nott notched a 12-4 mark in the foil and Hayley Reese went 11-6. In the sabre, Sarah Borrmann produced a 14-3 record and close behind her was Eileen Hassett with a 13-5 mark.

The Buckeyes produced a 6-0 mark to finish first among the women. Columbia went 4-1, while Northwestern had a 3-3 record. St. John's compiled a 2-3 record followed by three one-win teams in Yale (1-4), Wayne State (1-4) and NYU (1-5).

Both the Fighting Irish men and women have identical 9-2 records for the 2008 season. Notre Dame will return to action at the Northwestern Duals on Feb. 2nd & 3rd.

2008 NYU Duals
Saturday, Jan. 26
Cole Sports Center
Final Women's Team Standings
1. #2 Ohio State (6-0)
2. #3 Columbia (4-1)
3. #1 Notre Dame (4-2)
4. #6 Northwestern (3-3)
5. #7 St. John's (2-3)
6t. Yale (1-4)
6t. Wayne State (1-4)
8. NYU (1-5)
Final Men's Team Standings
1. #2 Ohio State (6-0)
2. #3 Notre Dame (5-1)
3. #4 St. John's (3-2)
4t. NYU (2-3)
4t. Yale (2-3)
6. #5 Columbia (2-3)
7. Stevens Tech (0-4)
8. Wayne State (0-5)