Duke Fencing Opens Season at Philadelphia Invitational Multi Meet

Sunday, January 22

Philadelphia, Pa.

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Duke University

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Duke Fencing Opens Season at Philadelphia Invitational Multi Meet

1/22/2006 12:00:00 AM | Fencing

By: Duke Sports Information

Philadelphia, Pa. - The Duke fencing teams opened their season on Sunday at the Philadelphia Invitational Multi Meet with four dual matches each. The women came away with three wins while the tenth-ranked men went 2-2 on the day.

The women defeated Haverford (22-5), Rutgers (19-8) and Drew (18-9). They lost to Penn, 16-11, despite winning the saber, 7-2. The men's team defeated Haverford (17-10) and Drew (19-8). They lost a close match against Penn, 15-12, and also fell to Rutgers, 19-8.

The women's team received a strong showing from Ibtihaj Muhammad and the saber squad. Muhammad, a junior from Maplewood, N.J., showed why she is a two-time All-America by recording a perfect 11-0 record on the day to lead the Blue Devils' saber team to a 4-0 record. Allison Schafer, a junior from Morristown, N.J., also had a strong showing in the saber with a 9-2 record. Annie Massart and Jessica Hancock rounded out the team with 6-5 and 2-1 records, respectively.

In epee, the women won three of the four duals as Anne Kercsmar and Dorothy Hubbard both had good days. Kercsmar, a junior from Beachwood, Ohio, went 10-2 while Hubbard, a senior captain from Shreveport, La., posted a 9-3 mark. Theresa Poulos rounded out the group with a 6-6 overall record.

The women's foil team featured two freshmen and one sophomore and still managed to win two of the four duals. Marilyn Tycer was the only fencer with collegiate experience and paced the group with a 7-5 record. Newcomers, Alexandra Stein and Stephanie Butnick both had good days with 6-6 and 5-7 records, respectively.

The men's saber team completed the day with a 3-1 record. They were led by Peter Truszkowski, a freshman from Northfield, Ill., who began his collegiate career with an 8-4 record. Senior John Cornwell posted a 7-2 record while junior Michael DiMarco went 6-3 on the day. Freshman Laughlin Stewart also competed for the saber team and finished the day 3-3.

Nic Testerman had the strongest showing for the men on the day. The senior captain from Bend, Ore., led the epee squad to a 2-2 mark by posting a 9-3 overall record. Zach Moss, Theodore Lauzen and Sam Doran rounded out the epee team. Moss was 3-9 on the day, Doran split four matches with a 2-2 mark and Lauzen finished 1-7.

The men's foil team also ended the day with a 2-2 record. Jackson McClam, a sophomore from Columbia, S.C., paced the squad with an 8-4 record. Andrew Waddoups competed for the first time in his college career and finished 5-7 overall. Cameron Virkus ended the day 4-8.

The teams will be back in action on January 28 when they travel to State College, Pa. for the Penn State Invitational. They will then hit the road to compete at the Notre Dame Duals in Notre Dame, Ind. on January 29.