Against tough competition from the midwest and east coast, Stanford put up a strong performance at the Northwestern Duals in Evanston, Illinois, this weekend. The men's team, ranked No. 10 nationally in the first 2015 CF360 Fencing Coaches Poll, finished 8-3 and the women posted a 6-10 record.
The Cardinal men defeated Lawrence, Air Force, No. 3 Ohio State, Wayne State, Cal Tech, Clevland State, UC San Diego and UNC. UC San Diego and UNC both received votes in the latest poll. Stanford fell to No. 2 Notre Dame, No. 8 Penn and No. 7 Princeton by only seven bouts combined to post a weekend record of 8-3.
The men's team, which improved to 14-3 on the season, was propelled by a stellar performance from its epee team. Led by freshman Harrison MacRae, who finished 26-7, the men's epee squad went a perfect 11-0.
The return of two-time NCAA medalist and All-American Alexander Massialas, who missed the Western Invitational due to international competition, provided a huge boost to the men's foil squad. Massialas went 20-1 and freshman Andre Cornman finished 20-4 to help the squad go 9-2.
The Stanford women, who received the 13th-most votes in the first poll of the season, topped Cleveland State, Air Force, Detroit Mercy, Wayne State, Cal Tech and Lawrence to move to 9-13 on the season.
The women's sabre squad was a consistent performer all weekend. Facing some of the nation's top teams, sabre went 5-4 on the opening day of competition Saturday, propelling the Cardinal to a good start. Alexa Rohan, Stephanie Wang and Zoe Lee-Chiong represented Stanford at sabre.
The Northwestern Duals marked the end of Stanford's 2015 regular season. The Cardinal returns to the Farm to prepare for NCAA Regionals on March 7.
Full Results:
Men: 8-3 overall
Sat:
Def. Ohio State 14-13
Lost to Notre Dame 15-12
Lost to Penn 15-12
Def. Wayne State 22-5
Lost to Princeton 14-13
Sun:
Def. Cal Tech 26-1
Def. Cleveland 21-6
Def. UCSD 19-8
Def. UNC 18-9
Def. Lawrence 21-6
Def. Air Force 14-13
Women: 6-10 overall
Sat:
Lost to Northwestern 16-11
Lost to UCSD 15-12
Lost to Fairleigh Dickinson 14-13
Def. Cal Tech 19-8
Lost to Penn 18-9
Lost to Notre Dame 24-3
Lost to Princeton 22-5
Def. Wayne State 14-13
Lost to Ohio State 21-6
Sun:
Lost to Notre Dame 21-6
Def. Air Force 15-12
Lost to Temple 19-8
Lost to UNC 17-10
Def. Detroit 18-7
Def. Lawrence 17-10
Def. Cleveland 20-7