Fresh talent and seasoned veterans alike shined at the Blue Devils' season-opening tournament.
The Blue Devils kicked their 2015 campaign off to an excellent start Saturday at the Western Invitational in Colorado Springs, Colo. The women's team rounded out the weekend with a 5-1 record, and the men's team heads back to Durham after a 4-1 performance.
Freshman saber Haley Fisher put together an undefeated 17-0 record and senior epeeist Sarah Collins went 15-2 to power the women. Freshman Jan Maceczek and sophomore Christopher Monti enjoyed similar success throughout Saturday’s tournament, posting identical 14-1 ledgers to lead the men.
“I am very happy with the team and individual results for our very first meet of the season,” head coach Alex Beguinet said. “This year’s team has the potential to be one of the best teams Duke fencing has had in several years.”
Fisher—a preseason dark horse—was especially impressive in her first dual meet. The Kennesaw, Ga., native worked her way through a crowded field that included Stanford, Northwestern, UC San Diego, Cal Tech, Brandeis and Air Force without dropping a point.
“The whole saber squad performed well in our first dual meet of the season,” assistant coach Jacek Huchwajda said. “For [Fisher’s] first time experiencing a college dual meet format, she fenced hard and was particularly focused for each bout. Monti also had a great day. He is starting his second season well, continuing the high level of competition he did last year.”
Led by Fisher and Collins—an All-American a season ago—all five of the Blue Devil women's wins came by double-digits. Duke defeated Stanford 19-8, Cal Tech 25-2, UC San Diego 20-7, Air Force 19 -8 and Brandeis 18–9. The Wildcats were the only team to top the Blue Devils, doing so by an 18-9 margin.
Monti and Maceczek were instrumental in leading the Duke men to a near-perfect record. After wins against the Falcons, Tritons, Judges, and Beavers, the Blue Devils suffered a heart-wrenching 14-13 loss to the Cardinal.
Senior Rod Shayesteh and sophomore Joseph Lam combined to go 19-11 on foil, teaming with Maceczek to form a dangerous trio of foilists.
"Our men's foil squad put together an excellent performance,” assistant coach Darius Wei said. “Our freshman, Jan Maceczek, led the way, but both Rod Shayesteh and Joseph Lam picked up right where they left off last season."
Putting together squads of different ages did not prove a problem for the Blue Devils on Saturday, much to the coaching staff’s delight.
"I was very happy to see the team come together as a very cohesive unit,” Beguinet said. "Even with so many freshmen, they get along great and were very supportive of each other during the day."
Fencing in Colorado Springs, the Blue Devils had their bouts at higher elevation than what they used to practicing in Durham. Still, the additional complication is welcome adversity to prepare for further challenges later on in the season.
"All of the fencers were fighting the altitude during the day but still stayed focused on their bouts," Beguinet said. “We are all looking forward to our meets next weekend.”
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