North Carolina
Elite Invitational Duals
Fencing Knocks Off Top-Five Ohio State At Elite Invitational
November 21, 2022 | Fencing
PHILADELPHIA - The North Carolina fencing team traveled to the Elite Invitational this weekend, hosted by the University of Pennsylvania. The men's team finished the weekend with a 1-3 overall record, and the women's team at 2-2. The Tar Heels came up against some of the nation's top teams on Saturday, with each team fencing against four top ten opponents.
The Tar Heels were able to start out the weekend with a pair of statement wins over top-five Ohio State. The men's team pulled off the upset of No. 3 Ohio State with a score of 15-12. Epee's Xavier Hilbert and sabre's Nicky Wind were the standouts for the Heels in this statement win, each going 3-0 in their bouts. Epee and sabre were both dominant as weapon groups, winning 7-2 and 6-3.
The No. 14 women's team pulled off an upset of their own in round one, beating the No. 5 Buckeyes 15-12. Women's sabre carried the team to victory, winning their weapon group 7-2. Senior captain Abigale Parker was the star of the show for the Heels, going 3-0 in round one.
"We are starting to believe a little bit more each time we go out and compete," said Head Coach Matt Jednak. "This is something we can do, this is something we are capable of. We are going to continue to get pieces to build and make those strides."
The second round saw the Tar Heels face the eighth-ranked hosts, Penn. The Quakers proved to be too much for Carolina, topping the men 18-9 and the women 16-11. Redshirt sophomore Sophia Kovacs was the bright spot for the Heels in the loss, winning all three of her matches.
The Carolina women ran into No. 1 Princeton in round three, falling 20-7. The men also fell to Princeton, losing to the No. 5 Tigers 19-8. In the fourth round, the Heels matched up against Notre Dame in their first ACC matchup of the season. The men's team was competitive throughout against the No. 1 ranked Fighting Irish, ultimately losing the match 16-11. Men's epee was able to dominate the reigning national champions, beating them 7-2. Both Eli Lippman and Nathan Paolini were 3-0 against the Fighting Irish.
"(Men's epee) rely on each other to get themselves in the zone, get calm, and get focused. They are extremely coachable. They take critique very well and stay true to their game. They are willing to listen to not only me but their teammates," said Jednak.
The women's team was able to pick up their second win of the day in the final round, defeating UC San Diego 14-13. Sophia Kovacs and Sophia Molho were major reasons behind the Tar Heels final round success, both of them going 3-0. The men's team fell 19-8 to No. 12 UCSD in their final match.
Sophia Kovacs was the player of the weekend for the women's fencing squad, going 9-3 in all of her bouts. Kovacs improves to 20-10 in dual bouts this season, the best record on the team. Eli Lippman was the best player on the strips for the men's team this weekend. The reigning ACC men's epee champion finished the weekend at 8-4.
The Elite Invitational was the final meet of the fall campaign. The Carolina fencing team will return to action on January 6th at the January North American Cup.
Players Mentioned
