Day one finishes with women third
By MIKE CONNOLLY
Sports Writer
PALO ALTO, Calif.
After finishing the day with a 6-8 record, freshman epeeist Meagan Call was a bit down at the 2000 NCAA Fencing Championships.
Then she found out the Irish were still in third place after the first day of competition. Her melancholy looks quickly turned into a smile.
"We can definitely make a run [at first place in the last three days of competition," she said. "Foil will kick some butt tomorrow and women's sabre will do well. Anna [Carnick] and I can will definitely step up [in epee]."
Call's change in attitude mirrored the fate of the Irish, Thursday. Featuring four freshmen and a junior qualifying for the first time, the Irish started slowly. Natalia Mazur and Carianne McCullough won just 13 bouts while Call and Carnick combined for just 13 wins as well. With just 26 points and defending national champion Penn State pulling away, the Irish languished in fourth.
"I fenced really bad," said Mazur who went 7-7 on the day. "I wasn't aggressive enough. I was kind of tired and my mind just wasn't into it."
While Mazur's, Call's and McCullough's near .500 records were disappointing, Carnick's 7-7 record was especially surprising. The freshman from Mishawaka finished the year strong with a Midwest Conference epee championship and was expected to be a key piece in a possible Notre Dame national championship.
Notre Dame head coach Yves Auriol chalked up the bad start by the epee team to nerves and inexperience.
"They are a little bit intimidated and a little bit nervous," he said. "Epee is the kind of weapon where if you lose your focus you lose a few touches and you are in trouble."
But just when it seemed that the Irish had fenced themselves out of competition for first place on the first day, Magda Krol and Liza Boutsikaris took the strips for the women's foil competition.
Boutsikaris combined for 20 wins and just eight losses as the Irish climbed into third place — just three points behind second place St. John's and within striking distance of the leader, Penn State.
"[Third place] is great for our team," Krol said. "It's even a higher ranking that I expected after the first day. I think that if we keep up the intensity and finish strong tomorrow, it could be very good for the men going into Saturday."
Krol's intensity carried her to second place after the first four rounds with a 12-2 record. Krol split two bouts with Stanford and defeated Susan Jennings of Columbia, who finished four in epee at the 1999 Championships. Krol's only other loss came against Kristen Dorf of Northwestern.
"I kind of lost [her intensity] when I lost the two bouts [in the second round,]" she said. "But right now, I have it back. I felt [the intensity] in the third round and in the last round."
Krol and Boutsikaris finished the day on a high note for the Irish as the swept the fourth round and picked up six points.
The women will fence the last four rounds of each weapon today before the men take the strips on Saturday and Sunday. Auriol said he expected a slow start from the women but the men, who are the strength of this year's team, should make a run at the title over the weekend.
"It could have been worse," he said about being in third place after the first day. "I thought we were struggling a little bit but we are in decent position for the final days. It's another day tomorrow and then our men are the stronger squad. I guess we were expecting to be were we are now. "
Mazur was surprised with her 7-7 record but said that she would fence better today.
"A lot of the people I lost to, I can beat no problem," she said. "My mind just wasn't focused."
With four rounds of fencing under their belts, the Irish hope to take the strip Friday a little more relaxed and a little more focused.
"We just need to be steady," Auriol said. "We have some tough matches against Penn State and Princeton [today] but we are still in the picture."
All Sports Stories for Friday, March 24, 2000
