University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
ACC Championships (Men)
Tar Heels Welcome ACC Return Even As Results Fall Short
February 22, 2015 | Fencing
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Although his team's results weren't what he had hoped they would be, Saturday was still a good day for UNC's Ron Miller, now in his 48th season as the Tar Heels' head fencing coach. “It was amazing to have the tournament back here and to reinstate the conference tournament,” Miller said as he stood on the Carmichael Arena court surrounded by fencing strips and “ACC Fencing” banners. “It's something we've worked toward for 34 years, so it's nice to see it finally come to fruition.”
The Tar Heels are hosting the 2015 Atlantic Coast Conference Fencing Championships and it marks the first time the conference has sponsored a championship in the sport since 1980. That year, UNC won its eighth crown in a 10-year span, but the following season the conference stopped sponsoring the sport. Alas, the first championship back didn't go quite as well as the last time out for the Tar Heels, who finished fourth of four in the team competition and did not have an individual medalist. “The results are not what we would have expected or what we wanted,” Miller said. “The biggest issue again is inconsistency and losses in 5-4 bouts – it's the story of the season.”
The team competition kicked off first thing Saturday morning, with each of the four ACC teams – Boston College, Duke and Notre Dame in addition to UNC – fencing the other three. Before the historic action began, however, the national anthem offered a nod to the long wait between events. As a 16-year-old, Miller's daughter, Caroline, promised her father that when the tournament was reinstated, she'd sing the national anthem. Now grown with a baby at home, she stayed true to her vow and, although she wasn't able to attend, sent a recording that was played at the start of the day.
UNC opened with a 19-8 loss to Duke then fell to eventual team champion Notre Dame by the same score. In the morning's third bout, Carolina dropped a close contest to Boston College, falling 14-13. The Fighting Irish, whose addition to the ACC spurred the reinstatement of a conference tournament because it pushed the league total to the required four teams, went 3-0 to claim the men's title.
After a short break, the individual competition started at noon. Each team sent four men per weapon into the draw. In the end, freshman Matthew Shlimak was the only Tar Heel to make a weapon final. He finished fourth in the epee field to reach the medal bouts and ultimately finished fourth.
“Individually, several kids had good days but right at the end didn't come out,” Miller said. “Matt (Shlimak) had a great tournament and fenced well in the final but had a pretty severe leg cramp, which I know hampered him near the end.”
Shlimak spent several minutes on the ground with sports medicine staff providing attention to his right quad before he was able to finish the bout, in which he fell 15-11 to Duke's Dean Ischiropoulos.
“It's a long day,” Shlimak said. “It's a lot of energy, sweating a lot and losing salt and carbs. It happens. I guess I didn't stay hydrated enough.”
The men's team will spend Sunday in the Carmichael stands, as the women's competition kicks off. Action resumes at 7 a.m. with the team competition, which will last until approximately 10:30. After a 30-minute break, the women's individual competition will begin at 11 a.m.
“I know the women are psyched up for it,” Miller said. “They'll be ready tomorrow morning.”
2015 ACC Fencing Championships
Feb. 21, 2015
Men's Team Results
Final Standings
Notre Dame 3-0
Duke 2-1
Boston College 1-2
North Carolina 0-3
Round 1
Notre Dame def Boston College, 23-4 (S81/F81/E72)
Duke University def UNC Chapel Hill, 19-8 (S54/F81/E63)
Round 2
Notre Dame def UNC Chapel Hill, 18-9 (S54/F90/E45)
Duke University def Boston College, 20-7 (S90/F54/E63)
Round 3
Notre Dame def Duke University, 17-10 (S54/F81/E45)
Boston College def UNC Chapel Hill, 14-13 (S36/F72/E45)
UNC Individual Results
Epee: 4. Matthew Shlimak; 9. Parker Williams; 10. Collins Allison; 13. Michael Gopman Slonim
Foil: 10. Ezra Baeli-Wang; 11. Alexander Burte; 12. Jake Bernstein
Sabre: 6. Evan Philpot; 9. Gordon Long; 10. Mason Erb; 14. Theo Onigbinde
Players Mentioned
