STANFORD, Calif. – The men’s and women’s fencing teams closed out the regular season last weekend with strong showings at the Northwestern Duals in South Bend, Indiana.
The men competed against 13 teams and posted a 7-6 overall mark, beating Detroit Mercy (26-1), Northwestern (26-1), Lawrence Academy (25-2), USD (18-9), Cleveland State (21-6), Wayne State (27-0) North Carolina (20-7). The squad lost to Notre Dame (18-9), Pennsylvania (15-12), Princeton (17-10), Ohio State (16-11) and Duke (16-11).
Stanford went 9-4 in men’s epee, 7-6 in foil and 9-4 in saber.
Individually, freshman Gabe Weininger paced the epee group with a 16-6 mark, followed by first-year player Sean Strong at 13-6. Freshman Jeffrey Dalli sparked the sabre group at 26-11, while freshman Jose Recinto posted an 8-2 record on the second day of competition. Junior Stephen Aman led the foil group at 19-8.
The women played 14 opponents and concluded with a 5-9 record. The Cardinal downed Wayne State (16-11), Lawrence (21-6), Farley Dickenson (16-11), Cleveland State (22-5) and Detroit Mercy (27-0). The team fell to Temple (11-6), Duke (20-7), Princeton (19-8), Pennsylvania (16-11), Ohio State (17-10), Notre Dame (19-8), North Carolina (14-13), Penn State (21-6) and Northwestern (19-8).
Stanford finished 8-6 in saber, 3-11 in foil and 7-7 in epee.
Individually, freshman Belinda Mo was a standout in epee with a 25-8 showing, while freshman Valerie Garcia went 25-9 in sabre.
“It was a long weekend fencing against some of the toughest schools in the country,” said head coach Lisa Posthumus. “I was pleased with my captains Ben Riviere (junior), Becca Rose (sophomore), David Beam (senior) and Justin Lee (senior) for keeping everyone on target and leading with strength and sportsmanship.”
Next up are the NCAA Regionals at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado on March 5. Stanford will be represented by 14 men and 10 women.
“We’re ready and excited to compete,” Posthumus said.