Both the men's and women's fencing teams finished 3-1 this weekend in front of friends and family at their only home meet of the year in Card Gymnasium.
"We fenced really well," senior Michael DiMarco said. "We had a lot of support this year. On Friday, there were a lot of fans. The top was filled with people and it was really loud, especially for the UNC meet."
Both Duke squads defeated Air Force, North Carolina and Johns Hopkins but lost to Notre Dame. The meet concluded the regular season for the Blue Devils as the men's and women's teams finished with records of 13-6 and 13-9, respectively. Some of Duke's fencers will be moving onto the Atlantic South Regional tournament March 10.
Led by junior Ben Hendricks, the men's team captured the Foil Cup, awarded to the team with the best record in that weapon, Friday. He finished the day with an 11-1 mark and won each of his three bouts against Notre Dame.
"He fenced probably one of the best bouts I've ever seen in any weapon against one of the Notre Dame fencers," DiMarco said.
On the women's side Saturday, Anne Kercsmar went 10-2 in the epee and Marilyn Tycer matched that mark in the foil to pace Duke.
"This was a great meet for us to finish out on," senior Allison Schafer said. "We obviously like to do well at home, and a lot of people had strong days."
Several of the Blue Devil fencers said they loved the opportunity to fence in front of a supportive crowd at their annual home meet. In addition, DiMarco said Duke's meet is widely regarded as one of the most organized and efficient competitions each year.
"It's amazing how Card Gym transforms from a basketball court into a fencing stadium," DiMarco said. "It's really a special environment for fencing."
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