DURHAM, N.C. – No. 1 Notre Dame finished undefeated and swept the foil, saber and epee trophies on day one of the Duke Fencing Home Meet in Card Gym on Saturday, while the host Blue Devils posted a 2-1 record with wins over North Carolina and Johns Hopkins.

The top-ranked Fighting Irish took top honors at Duke’s 13th annual home tournament with wins of 18-9 over North Carolina, 19-8 over Duke and 23-4 over Johns Hopkins. Notre Dame did not lose a single weapon during their three matches despite a narrow 5-4 win over Duke’s saber squad.

The Blue Devils (16-4) posted a 21-6 win over Johns Hopkins in the opening round and a 17-10 victory over the Tar Heels in the event’s finale. The win over North Carolina gives Duke half of a point in the year-long Continental Tire “Battle for the Blues” competition, cutting the Tar Heel lead to 10-3.5.

All three of Duke’s weapons went 2-1 on the day with their only losses coming at the hands of Notre Dame. Senior All-America Dorian Cohen led the Blue Devil foils with a 7-2 record, and junior epee Tristan Jones matched him with a 7-2 record of his own.

Cohen, who owns a 178-49 career record, now leads the Duke men’s squad with a 54-6 record on the year. The 54 wins are a career high for the Brooklyn, N.Y., native who has advanced to the NCAA Championships in each of his first three seasons. Jones, meanwhile, improved to an epee-leading 48-12 this season, which also sets a career high for the Andover, N.H., native.

Sophomore Anthony Lin paced the Duke sabers with a 6-2 mark to bump his season’s record to 40-12.

The Duke women will get their turn on day two of the Duke Home Meet on Sunday, Feb. 13, in Card Gym. The Blue Devils (14-3) will take on both Northwestern and North Carolina in the finale which begins at 9 a.m.


Duke Fencing Home Meet
COMPLETE MEN’S RESULTS
February 12, 2011 (Day One)
Card Gym (Durham, N.C.)

Round One
Duke 21, Johns Hopkins 6
Foil: Duke V, 8-1
Saber: Duke V, 5-4
Epee: Duke V, 8-1

Notre Dame 18, North Carolina 9
Foil: Notre Dame V, 7-2
Saber: Notre Dame V, 5-4
Epee: Notre Dame V, 6-3

Round Two
Notre Dame 19, Duke 8
Foil: Notre Dame V, 7-2
Saber: Notre Dame V, 5-4
Epee: Notre Dame V, 7-2

North Carolina 17, Johns Hopkins 11
Foil: North Carolina V, 6-3
Saber: North Carolina V, 7-2
Epee: Johns Hopkins V, 5-4

Round Three
Duke 17, North Carolina 10
Foil: Duke V, 6-3
Saber: Duke V, 6-3
Epee: Duke V, 5-4

Notre Dame 23, Johns Hopkins 4
Foil: Notre Dame V, 8-1
Saber: Notre Dame V, 7-2
Epee: Notre Dame V, 8-1


INDIVIDUAL DUKE RESULTS

Foil (2-1)
Dorian Cohen (7-2)
Matthew Budofsky (5-4)
Andrew Hsu (4-5)

Saber (2-1)
Anthony Lin (6-2)
Brian Cucinelli (4-3)
Nick Carothers (3-2)
Timothy Evans (3-4)

Epee (2-1)
Tristan Jones (7-2)
Dylan Nollner (4-5)
Jonathan Parker (4-4)
Graham Godwyn (0-1)