EVANSTON, Ill. (2/3/2020) -- The University of Detroit Mercy men's and women's fencing squads each competed on Sunday at the 2020 Northwestern Mega-Meet, held on the campus of Northwestern University just outside of downtown Chicago.
Going against some of the top teams in the country including No. 9-ranked Northwestern, the Titan women went 1-6 on the day, picking up a 14-11 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson. The Titan men's squad, fencing against five teams that were either receiving votes or ranked in the top-10 in the men's coaches poll, finished 0-6 on Sunday.
Men's Results
The Titan men's team fell against No. 3-ranked Ohio State (27-0) as well as three teams that were receiving votes in the most recent CollegeFencing360.com men's coaches poll in Stanford (27-0), California-San Diego (27-0) and North Carolina (24-3). The Titans also dropped duals with Air Force (26-1) and Incarnate Word (20-7).
For the Titans, sophomore
Jaydon Alojipan led the way in sabre, tallying six victories on the afternoon, including a 3-0 mark against Incarnate Word and a 2-1 record against the North Carolina sabre team. Senior
James Baker added two victories in sabre for the red, white and blue, as Detroit Mercy won 5-4 over UIW in sabre.
Senior
Christopher Morrison secured two wins in epee for the Titans, with sophomore
Peter Swanney earning another victory for the epee team. In foil, newcomer
Kurt Romkema picked up a bout win for the Titans.
Women's Results
The Detroit Mercy women's fencing team went head-to-head with No. 9 Northwestern, falling 26-1. The Titans also dropped three duals with teams receiving votes in Denison (17-10), North Carolina (25-2) and California-San Diego (26-1). The Titans won over Farleigh Dickinson (14-11) and also fell to Air Force (25-2).
For the Titans, sophomore foilist
Manal Shaito led the way with seven bout victories on the day, totaling a mark of 7-11 against tough competition. Senior foilist
Danielle Spencer earned five bout wins, including going 3-0 against the Denison foil team.
Another bright spot was newcomer
Zaria Reid, who earned bout wins against four different teams in epee and finished the day with five bout victories overall, including a 2-1 mark against Denison.
In sabre, sophomore
Justine Hickey picked up five bout triumphs to lead her weapon, totaling a 3-0 mark against Denison. Senior
Erica Tessmer tallied two more wins in sabre for the red, white and blue.
Up Next
Detroit Mercy fences close to home next weekend, heading to the Wayne State Duals on Saturday, Feb. 8 in Detroit. It's the final dual meet day before the Titans head to the Midwest Fencing Conference Championships from Saturday, Feb. 22 through Sunday, Feb. 23 at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio.
