DETROIT (2/7/2016) -- The University of Detroit Mercy men's fencing team picked up three victories on Sunday, facing five teams at the Wayne State University Duals at the Matthaei Center on Wayne State's campus. The Titans earned wins over Wayne State, Michigan State and Toledo.
Detroit earned a 20-7 victory over cross-town for Wayne State. The Titans also picked up dual wins over Toledo (22-5) and Oakland (17-10). UDM fell but slim margins to both Michigan (15-12) and Michigan State (14-13).
Detroit had four fencers achieve nine or more bout victories on the day, with freshman foilist
Algird Szumlas leading the way with a perfect 14-0 mark. Classmate
Josh Blackburn earned a 12-2 mark in the foil, while junior
Aaron Dittel went 12-1 in the epee. Junior captain
Austin Carlisle also performed well, finishing with a 9-2 mark to lead the sabre squad.
The foil squad led the way with 30 bout victories on the day, with Blackburn and Szumlas combining for 26 of them. Junior
Mikael Paulik picked up four more in the foil. The sabre team earned 28 victories from a collective group effort. Senior
Brock Bendes went 7-7 in the sabre, junior
Allen Gray held a 6-5 mark, while sophomore
Chuck Neubecker won all four of his bouts, going 4-0. Freshman
Robert Thacker earned two more wins in the sabre for the Titans.
In the epee, Dittel won 12 of 13 bouts. Senior
Josef Provido and sophomore
Thomas Borden each posted three victories for Detroit in the epee.
Detroit returns to fencing this coming weekend, competing at the USA Junior Olympics in Cleveland, Ohio beginning on Friday, Feb. 12.
Wayne State University DualsDetroit vs. Michigan -- L, 15-12
Detroit vs. Wayne State -- W, 20-7
Detroit vs. Oakland -- W, 17-10
Detroit vs. Michigan State -- L, 14-13
Detroit vs. Toledo -- W, 22-5
