Sophomore Becca Ward couldn’t quite defend her 2009 national title in the saber competition, but the Olympic medalist did manage a second-place finish in the event this year.
Ward faced the same rival as she did in last year’s championship bout, Harvard’s Carolina Vloka. And despite defeating Vloka 15-4 in the 2009 final, the Crimson’s top fencer outlasted Ward in the rematch, 15-13, to earn the national crown.
Ward finished the saber tournament with a 23-3 record and led all participants in total touches with 113 on her way to being named an All-American. She is the first Blue Devil fencer to earn two top-three finishes in program history.
But Ward wasn’t the only Duke fencer to earn All-American honrs. Freshman Emily D’Agostino, who competes in the epee event, finished in 12th place in her first NCAA tournament. Her performance was Duke’s best in the epee since 2004.
All matches were held in Cambridge, Mass.
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