Irish prepare to lead at national championships
By MIKE CONNOLLY
Sports Writer
Nobody can deny that the 2002 Irish fencing team is talented. It has a barn full of All-Americans, NCAA qualifiers and international superstars waiting to make a run at the national championship in March. The first United States Fencing Coaches Association poll lists the Irish as the No. 2 team in the country.
Expectations are very high for this year's team.
"I think we can take the gold this year. I guess I am kind of biased because I am on the team," sophomore epeeist Kerry Walton said. "I know St. John's is going to be a hard team but I think we have a very solid team. I believe we are all team players and together we can pull it out."
But with those high expectations comes something dangerous: overconfidence.
Irish head coach Yves Auriol has already noticed his fencers slacking off a bit and not getting the results he expects.
"[Tuesday] I got mad at them a little bit," Auriol said. "We don't want to take anything for granted. The results last weekend [at a North American Cup event at the Century Center] could have been higher."
Auriol, who will retire at the end of the season, knows that his last Irish team is also one of his most talented but talent doesn't always equal championships.
"I know we aren't where we are supposed to be," the 2001 USFCA head coach of the year said. "It doesn't take much to derail. If everyone is fencing at their best, we are a good team. But I tell people not to put too much faith in the polls, not to put too much faith in what they read in The Observer, we haven't won anything yet."
Senior sabre captain Andre Crompton says he won't let this team get too confident.
He has seen good Irish teams come up short in the past. He won't settle for anything less than a championship this year.
"I think the over confidence is really hitting a lot of people that expect us to win," Crompton said. "But coming as a fencer that has been there and see talented teams that just couldn't win those last couple of bouts at NCAAs, I am not overconfident."
All Sports Stories for Thursday, January 24, 2002
