Strong Opening
AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – The Stanford women won all four matches on Sunday to finish with a 7-2 record, the third-best among 10 teams at the two-day Western Invitational season-opening fencing competition at the Air Force Academy's Cadet Gymnasium.
Joy Yun went 17-4 in sabre over the weekend, including 7-0 on Sunday, for Stanford's top individual performance among women and men. Yun was at her best against a strong North Carolina team, going undefeated in three bouts during Stanford's 15-12 victory.
The Cardinal men went 4-4 in the tournament, the fifth-best among nine teams. Stanford went 2-2 on Sunday.
Both Stanford teams combined to go 6-0 against fellow opponents from the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation – Air Force, Incarnate Word, and UC San Diego.
"I'm so very proud of this team," Stanford coach Lisa Posthumus said. "They showed great fight and supported each other on and off the strip. They are a true team in every sense of the word and proved again to be the powerhouse of the West."
The women's foil team won all four of its matches on Sunday and went 7-2 overall. Haley Koo was 15-5 in foil, going 3-0 against North Carolina, and Sofia Raso, a freshman from New York City, went 14-9.
In the women's epee, Hanna Lee went 19-8, including 9-3 on Sunday. Lee returns to the team after a season away during the pandemic. Yun and Koo, now sophomores, were among five to compete last season and each earned All-America honors.
For the men, another veteran who returned to action this season, Lucas Orts, went 19-5 in foil. Orts went 10-2 on Sunday, including 3-0 each against North Carolina and Incarnate Word.
Leading the Stanford men's foil team, which went 5-3, were Donghwan Park and Noah Matricciani. Park went 13-6 and Matricciani went 10-5, though he only competed against New Jersey Institute of Technology on Sunday, going 3-0.
The Cardinal returns to action Feb. 5-6 at the Northwestern Duals in Evanston, Illinois.
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Western Invitational
At Air Force Academy (Cadet Gymnasium)
Men
Final team records -- 1 (tie), Columbia, Notre Dame, each 6-0; 3, North Carolina 6-2; 4, Air Force 4-3; 5, Stanford 4-4; 6, NJIT 3-4; 7 (tie), UCSD, Brandeis, each 2-6; 9, Incarnate Word 0-8.
Stanford's Sunday's results
NJIT 14, Stanford 13
Saber: Stanford 6, NJIT 3
Foil: NJIT 6, Stanford 3
Epee: NJIT 5, Stanford 4
North Carolina 21, Stanford 6
Saber: N.C. 8, Stanford 1
Foil: N.C. 5, Stanford 4
Epee: N.C. 8, Stanford 1
Stanford 19, UC San Diego 8
Saber: Stanford 7, UCSD 2
Foil: Stanford 5, UCSD 4
Epee: Stanford 7, UCSD 2
Stanford 16, Incarnate Word 11
Saber: Stanford 5, I.W. 4
Foil: Stanford 6, I.W. 3
Epee: Stanford 5, I.W. 4
Other Sunday scores
Columbia 22, Brandeis 5
North Carolina 21, Incarnate Word 6
Columbia 19, NJIT 8
UC San Diego 15, Incarnate Word 12
North Carolina 19, Brandeis 8
Air Force 17, Incarnate Word 10
NJIT 15, UC San Diego 12
Brandeis 22, NJIT 5
Air Force 16, UC San Diego 11
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Women
Final team records -- 1, Columbia 7-0; 2, Notre Dame 6-0; 3, Stanford 7-2; 4, Northwestern 5-2; 5, North Carolina 5-3; 6, UC San Diego 4-5; 7, NJIT 3-5; 8, Air Force 2-6; 9, Incarnate Word 1-8; 10, Brandeis 0-9.
Stanford's Sunday results
Stanford 16, NJIT 11
Saber: Stanford 5, NJIT 4
Foil: Stanford 6, NJIT 3
Epee: Stanford 5, NJIT 4
Stanford 15, North Carolina 12
Saber: Stanford 7, N.C. 2
Foil: Stanford 5, N.C. 4
Epee: N.C. 6, Stanford 3
Stanford 15, UC San Diego 12
Saber: UCSD 5, Stanford 4
Foil: Stanford 6, UCSD 3
Epee: Stanford 5, UCSD 4
Stanford 19, Incarnate Word 8
Saber: Stanford 8, I.W. 1
Foil: Stanford 5, I.W. 4
Epee: Stanford 6, I.W. 3
Other Sunday scores
Columbia 27, Brandeis 0
North Carolina 18, Incarnate Word 9
Northwestern 23, Air Force 4
Columbia 19, NJIT 8
UC San Diego 15, Incarnate Word 12
North Carolina 20, Brandeis 7
Air Force 14, Incarnate Word 13
Northwestern 21, Brandeis 6
UC San Diego 14, NJIT 13
NJIT 16, Brandeis 11
UC San Diego 20, Air Force 7