Duke Fencing Dominant At Duke Invitational

Friday, February 8

Durham, N.C.

All Day

Duke University

MIT, Brandeis, Air Force, North Carolina, Johns Hopkins

Duke Fencing Dominant At Duke Invitational

2/9/2008 12:00:00 AM | Fencing

By: Duke Sports Information

DURHAM, N.C. -- The Duke women's fencing team completed the second day of the Duke Fencing Invitational on Saturday in Card Gym to cap the two-day event that began with the men's tournament on Friday, Feb. 8.

The men's squad took the foil and saber team trophies and went 5-0 during Friday's competition with victories over Air Force (17-10), Brandeis (14-13), Johns Hopkins (18-9), MIT (15-12) and North Carolina (14-13). The women's team finished with an overall record of 2-3 with a pair of victories over Air Force (18-9) and MIT (14-13) on Saturday.

The men's saber group defeated every opponent to finish 5-0, while the foil squad topped four of five adversaries. The Blue Devil epee squad also contributed a key 5-4 win over Johns Hopkins.

Freshman foil Dorian Cohen and junior saber Peter Truszkowski led Duke with 13 victories apiece, while the two combined to lose just three duels. Cohen and the foil squad, also anchored by senior Ben Hendricks? 12-3 record, outscored opponents 30-15 and posted victories of 8-1 against Air Force and 7-2 over Johns Hopkins to claim the team foil trophy.

In addition to Truszkowski's success, saber competitors Laughlin Stewart and David Eitel also played a key role in bringing home the team saber award, as the duo combined for 17 of the group's 31 victories. Stewart ended the day with an 11-4 record, while Eitel broke even at 6-6.

In epee action, senior captain Zach Moss led the group with nine victories, while freshman Graham Godwyn finished with six. Three of Moss' victories came in a 5-4 win over Johns Hopkins, while the others came against Brandeis, North Carolina and MIT.

The highlight of the tournament came when Duke squared off against cross-town rival North Carolina. The teams battled to a 13-13 tie, leaving just one duel to decide the match. Hendricks, Duke's top foil competitor, shouldered the responsibility and fought to a 4-4 tie in his final duel before coming through with the match-clinching point for his third win of the match.

Duke Women's Fencing Picks Up Pair Of Wins At Duke Invitational

Freshman Allison Putterman recorded a team-best 10 wins in foil competition, including a 3-0 performance against Air Force. Putterman was joined by teammates Marilyn Tycer and Alexandra Stein who each turned in 3-0 outings against Air Force as well to cap a 9-0 shutout over the Falcons. Tycer, a senior, would finish the day with six victories while Stein, a junior, contributed five wins.

Duke's saber squad won three of five matches, including victories over Air Force and MIT and a 7-2 triumph over Brandeis. Junior captain Jessica Hancock went 9-7 to improve to a team-leading 49-32 on the season, while senior Amanda Goldenberg picked up seven wins to improve to 44-33. Freshman Margot Mausner also picked up three victories to reach the 30-win mark for the season.

In epee action, freshman Erin Pytel led the group with a 7-8 record to help the squad to victories over MIT and North Carolina. Sophomore Jenny Kim also contributed a 6-6 ledger, while sophomore Nicole Bloom finish with four victories on the day.

Up next for the Blue Devils is the Junior Olympics in Charlotte, N.C., which begin on Friday, Feb. 15 and run through Monday, Feb. 18.

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