COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Fighting Irish fencing team traveled to Columbus, Ohio, for the Elite Invitational over the weekend for their second competition of the season. Notre Dame men’s and women’s team posted a combined record of 9-2 with the women going 5-1 and the men recording a record of 4-1.
Both squads faced stiff competition, as nine of the 11 bouts were against ranked opponents, including eight in the top 10.
The Fighting Irish men’s sabre team stood out on the day, leading the team with a record of 32-13. Luke Linder went 10-2 overall and Alexandre Lacaze posted a record of 9-3.
On the women’s side the sabre team also impressed, going 38-16. Chelsea Delsoin finished with a mark of 11-4 while Maria Mozhaeva and Jadeyn Williams each finished 7-2.
Other standouts at the invite were men’s foil Marcello Olivares (13-2), women’s foil Ryanne Leslie (8-1) and women’s epee Sedna Gandhi (14-4).
The men suffered their first defeat of the season to open the invite, narrowly falling in a 15-12 decision to No. 7 Penn. Men’s sabre went 6-3 against the Quakers with Grant Dodrill going a perfect 3-0. However, it wasn’t enough as Penn won both epee and foil with a mark of 6-3.
The women opened the invite with an 18-9 win over Denison, as all three weapons recorded 6-3 victories. Gandhi, Leslie and Maria Mozhaeva each finished 3-0 to start their days with unblemished records.
The Notre Dame men then bounced back with a big win over No. 3 Princeton in a 16-11 decision. The epee squad carried the matchup with a 7-2 decision, led by Jonathan Hamilton-Meikle going 3-0. Linder was also dominant, tallying a 3-0 record.
The women’s side then had back-to-back top 10 matchups against Nol 7 Penn and No. 1 Princeton. The team dominated the matchup against Penn, winning 22-5. Notre Dame won the epee portion 8-1 and recorded 7-2 victories in both foil and sabre.
The Irish then followed up the win by knocking off No. 1 Princeton in convincing fashion with an 18-9 victory. The foil squad carried the team with a 9-0 sweep, as Ryanne, Kate Apelian and Karina Yaroshenko each went 3-0.
The men’s team breezed by Air Force in their third matchup by a score of 21-6 before closing the competition with back-to-back top-10 triumphs over No. 4 Ohio State and No. 9 Duke. The Irish defeated No. 4 Ohio State by a score of 16-11 behind the efforts of a 7-2 advantage in sabre. Linder and Lacaze each went 3-0 against the Buckeyes. Olivares was also perfect in foil, finishing 3-0 to help the Irish record the win.
The Irish men capped off the day with an 18-9 victory over ACC rival No. 9 Duke. Once again the sabre team dominated, winning their bouts 7-2 with Lacaze going 3-0.
The women carried their momentum from knocking off No. 1 Princeton with back-to-back 17-10 wins over No. 15 Air Force and No. 5 Ohio State.The women’s sabre squad of Chelsea Delsoin, Siena Hua and Maria Mozhaeva combined to go 8-1 against Air Force, carrying the team to the win.
In the win over the Buckeyes it was once again the sabre team that did much of the damage, as Delsoin, Jadeyn Williams and Atara Greenbaum swept Ohio State with a mark of 9-0. Apelian also had a notable performance in foil, going a perfect 3-0.
The lone Irish defeat of the day for the women’s team came in the final matchup, as the No. 9 Duke Blue Devils managed to take a 17-10 decision over the Irish, giving Notre Dame their only loss of the season.
The Irish next take to the collegiate strips in the New Year, with their annual trip East. On Saturday, January 20, 2024, they will square off at the St. John’s Invitational against the hosts, Ohio State, Penn State, Harvard, and Columbia. The following day, they will compete in the Philadelphia Invitational at Penn.