Notre Dame will finish up its regular season this weekend by traveling to the University of California at San Diego (UC San Diego) this Saturday to take on a host of top competitors.
With All-American fencers from Air Force and Stanford competing at the annual San Diego Duals, the Irish will have a good opportunity to prepare for the upcoming NCAA Tournament.
Cal State Fullerton, UC San Diego and Cal Tech are among the other teams in the strong field that will challenge the Irish before the team embarks on its postseason national title defense.
The NCAA Tournament begins March 4.
The Irish have reason to be hopeful this weekend, as they have improved statistically in many categories since last year.
The men's foil and sabre teams have seen the most dramatic leaps in winning percentage, going from .694 to .724 and .750 to .798, respectively.
The women's epee team also has improved steadily throughout the year thanks to contributions from senior Becca Chimahusky and junior Amy Orlando.
The men are ranked No. 2 nationally, and the women own the top spot in the polls.
After the San Diego Duals, the Irish will be back in action Feb. 25-26 for the Midwest Fencing Conference Championships. The Midwest Regionals of the NCAA Tournament follow a week later.
