Notre Dame began its season with a pair of four-win weekends, as both the men’s and women’s team worked their way to a 4-1 record at the Elite Invitational this past Saturday.
In a full day of duals at Penn’s Dave Micahnik Fencing Center, the combined Irish program squared off against seven teams. The men’s team competed against NJIT, Princeton, Yale, Penn and North Carolina, while the women’s team battled Temple, Princeton, Yale, Penn and Cornell.
In their first duals of the day, the men topped the Highlanders, 17-10, in a win spurred by an 8-1 advantage in the sabre portion of the dual. On the other side, the women began their day with a tight 14-13 win over the Owls.
Both the men’s and women’s teams for the Irish competed against Yale, Penn and Princeton in their next three duals. Against the Bulldogs, the men won 16-11 — an advantage keyed by a 7-2 advantage in the foil portion of the dual — while the women cruised to a 20-7 victory after holding the advantage in all three portions of the match. Then, the men’s and women’s squads split their matches against the Quakers and Tigers. The men topped the Tigers, 17-10, and fell to the Quakers in a close 15-14 contest, while the women fought their way to a 15-12 win over Penn before dropping their dual to Princeton, 18-9.
In their final duals of the day, the men and women cruised to victory. The men dominated the Tar Heels in a 21-6 affair, while the women notched a 16-11 victory over the Big Red. The foil proved to be the best weapon for the Irish all day, as both the men’s and women’s teams won that portion of the competition in all six of their duals.
The next team event for Notre Dame is set for Nov. 20, when the Irish travel to compete in the Penn State Open.
