The two-day Notre Dame Duals will feature several top-10 teams, with the third-ranked Ohio State men to fence only on Saturday (Feb. 7; the OSU women will not compete at ND) while the #6 Northwestern women will fence in Sunday's bouts only (NU's women will be at the Duke Duals on Saturday). The host Fighting Irish are the co-#1 team in the men's poll and #2 among the nation's women's fencing teams. Stanford's men's team is ranked #7 while several other teams at the ND Duals include fencers who could advance to the NCAAs (most notably Wayne State's men and Stanford's women, plus the men's and women's team from both Air Force and UC San Diego).
Four of the six fencers who won 2008 NCAA titles are from teams in the 2009 Notre Dame Duals field: Wayne State men's epeeist Slava Zingerman (NCAA champ in '07 and '08), Ohio State men's foilist Andras Horanyi (also a two-time NCAA individual champion), ND women's epeeist Kelley Hurley and ND women's sabreist Sarah Borrmann (the other two 2008 NCAA champions were current Columbia men's sabreist Jeff Spear and former St. John's women's foilist Monika Golebiewski).
Check back to the blog on Friday for a listing of other top fencers to watch at the ND Duals.
NOTRE DAME DUALS SCHEDULE
Saturday, Feb. 7
Round 1 (8:00 a.m. ... women's bouts)
#1 Notre Dame vs. Stanford ... Air Force vs. UC San Diego ... Detroit vs. Cal Tech ... Wayne State vs. Florida (club) ...
Cleveland State vs. Oberlin (club) ... Lawrence vs. Michigan State (club)
Round 2 (9:00 a.m.)
women – ND vs. MSU ... Stanford vs. Wayne St. ... UCSD vs. Cleveland St. ... AFA vs. Oberlin ... Detroit vs. Florida ... Lawrence vs. Cal Tech
men – co-#1 Notre Dame vs. UCSD
Round 3 (10:00 a.m.)
women – ND vs. AFA ... Stanford vs. MSU ... Wayne St. vs. UCSD ... Cleveland St. vs. Cal Tech ... Detroit vs. Oberlin ... Lawrence vs. Florida
men – ND vs. Cal Tech
Round 4 (11:00 a.m.)
women – ND vs. UCSD ... Stanford vs. AFA ... WSU vs. Cal Tech ... Detroit vs. MSU ... Cleveland St. vs. Florida ... Lawrence vs. Oberlin
men – ND vs. Florida (club) ... co-#7 Stanford vs. Lawrence
Round 5 (noon)
women – ND vs. Detroit ... Stanford vs. UCSD ... Wayne State vs. Oberlin ... Cleveland State vs. Michigan State ... Cal Tech vs. Florida
men – ND vs. Cleveland State ... Stanford vs. Northwestern (club) ... Air Force vs. Detroit
Round 6 (1:00 p.m.)
women – ND vs. Cleveland State ... Air Force vs. Detroit ... Air Force vs. Lawrence
men – ND vs. Detroit ... #3 Ohio State vs. Florida ... Stanford vs. UCSD ... Wayne State vs. Oberlin (club) ... Cleveland State vs. MSU (club)
Round 7 (2:00 p.m.)
women – ND vs. Florida
men – ND vs. NU ... OSU vs. UCSD ... Stanford vs. AFA ... WSU vs. Cal Tech ... Detroit vs. MSU ... CSU vs. UF ... Lawrence vs. Oberlin
Round 8 (3:00 p.m.)
women – ND vs. Cal Tech
men – OSU vs. Cal Tech ... AFA vs. UCSD ... WSU vs. Florida ... Detroit vs. Northwestern ... CSU vs. Lawrence ... Lawrence vs. MSU
Round 9 (4:00 p.m.)
men – ND vs. AFA ... OSU vs. Stanford ... UCSD vs. WSU ... Detroit vs. Oberlin ... CSU vs. Cal Tech ... Lawrence vs. UF ... NU vs. MSU
Round 10 (5:00 p.m.)
men – ND vs. MSU ... OSU vs. AFA ... Stanford vs. WSU (cancelled, will fence on Sunday) ... UCSD vs. CSU ... Detroit vs. Florida ... Lawrence vs. Cal Tech ... NU vs. Oberlin
Sunday, Feb. 8
women – Northwestern vs. Florida ... Stanford vs. CSU ... AFA vs. WSU ... Detroit vs. Cal Tech ... UCSD vs. Lawrence ... MSU vs. Oberlin
women – ND vs. Wayne St. ... Northwestern vs. UCSD ... Stanford vs. Detroit ... AFA vs. Lawrence ... Cal Tech vs. MSU ... Occidental vs. UF
women – ND vs. Oberlin ... Northwestern vs. Cal Tech ... Stanford vs. Lawrence ... AFA vs. CSU ... UCSD vs. Detroit ... MSU vs. Florida
men – ND vs. Cal Tech
women – ND vs. UCSD ... Northwestern vs. Cleveland State ... Air Force vs. Florida ... Wayne State vs. MSU ... Lawrence vs. Detroit
women – Wayne State vs. Cal Tech
Round 7 (2:00 p.m.)
women – ND vs. Lawrence ... Northwestern vs. Air Force
men – ND vs. Wayne State ... Stanford vs. Detroit ... UCSD vs. Northwestern ... Cal Tech vs. MSU ... Florida vs. Oberlin
Round 8 (3:00 p.m.)
women – Northwestern vs. Oberlin
men – ND vs. Oberlin ... Stanford vs. Wayne St. ... Air Force vs. CSU ... UCSD vs. Detroit ... MSU vs. Florida ... (note that Cal Tech and Northwestern fenced on Saturday)