Jan. 31, 2011

Contact: Dan Carr

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Senior John Marshall had a perfect day at the Notre Dame Duals on Sunday (Jan. 30), going 24-0 against some of the toughest competition the team has faced to date.

"It's the first time I can remember since I've been here that we've had a fencer go undefeated," head coach Andy Tulleners said. "He had a great day."

Marshall helped lead the men's fencing team to a 9-0 performance against Detroit en route to the team's 20-7 victory, the team's lone win of the day. The Vikings also fenced Northwestern (16-11), Swarthmore (14-13), Florida (17-10, Air Force (21-6), Wayne State (17-10), Lawrence (15-12) and Notre Dame (23-4).

The epee team went 7-1 on the day, including another perfect performance against Wayne State. The squad's sole loss was a close 5-4 defeat to Notre Dame, the top-ranked fencing team in the country according to the latest poll, released Jan. 20.

"Overall, the men's team fenced very well," Tulleners said. "The epee squad had another great day, the saber squad performed well and the foil squad continues to develop despite the tough competition."

The saber squad went 2-6 at the duals, picking up victories over Detroit (7-2) and Northwestern (5-4). The unit came close to picking up a third win over Florida, being edged out, 5-4.

The foil squad won four bouts against Detroit and three vs. Swarthmore.

The Vikings will be back in action next weekend (Feb. 5-6) when Cleveland State travels to Evanston, Ill. for the Northwestern Duals.