Saturday, February 10
Chapel Hill, N.C.
8 a.m. - 3 p.m.
North Carolina
vs
Tar Heel Duals
Freshman Boris Muga (far left) and the Tar Heel men celebrate during a successful day.
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
Fencing Caps Regular Season With Successful Home Meet
February 10, 2024 | Fencing
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – With an enthusiastic home crowd cheering all the way, the UNC fencing team turned in outstanding performances across the board Saturday at the Tar Heel Duals, Carolina's final meet of the regular season and only home meet of the year. Competing at the Eddie Smith Field House, the UNC men went 3-0 and the UNC women were 3-2 including the headline win of the day, a 14-13 victory over No. 8 Northwestern.
The Tar Heel men rolled to three wins in the morning session, beating ACC foe Boston College 15-12, LIU 23-4 and NYU 15-12.
The Carolina women dropped their opener, 17-10 to BC, but then rebounded in a big way with three straight wins, capped by the landmark victory over the Wildcats.
"They are starting to believe more and more, I can do this," UNC coach Matt Jednak said of his women's squad. "We've got a younger squad in some of these weapons and to have them be in big pressure moments where they can't back away from it … you can't sit down, you have to stand up, you have to be in that space, and you have your family and friends here. They stood up, they did a great job."
Senior Sophia Mandour is part of the women's foil squad that beat the Wildcats 6-3. (Northwestern took sabre 6-3, and Carolina earned a 5-4 win in epee.) "They're a really wonderful team and I think we really worked together on how we can help each other win the next bout as a team," she said. "Women's foil did a great job of giving each other advice for the next bout so we could all be prepared."
For all the Tar Heels, the crowd was the day's takeaway. When competing on the road, it's generally just the Tar Heel teams cheering for each other, with a handful of families there to support. In this case, the fencers looked around them and saw classmates, program alums, coaches of other UNC teams, and lots of department staff.
"This is my first home meet and it was crazy," freshman Boris Muga said. "The atmosphere is unlike anything I've had before. The audience just gave me a boost."
The team celebrated Senior Day between the morning and afternoon sessions, honoring 11 seniors who together made up the first recruiting class for Jednak. "There have been ups and downs along the way but to have them all here and recognize them, it's really special," he said.
The Tar Heels now look ahead to Junior Olympics Feb. 16-19 and then Atlantic Coast Conference Championships Feb. 24-25 in South Bend, Ind.
Tar Heel Duals
UNC Results
Round 1
BC 17, UNC women 10
UNC men 15, BC 12
Round 2
UNC women 18, LIU 9
UNC men 23, LIU 4
Round 3
UNC women 16, NYU 11
UNC men 15, NYU 12
Round 4
UNC women 14, Northwestern 13
Round 5
Temple 20, UNC women 7
The Tar Heel men rolled to three wins in the morning session, beating ACC foe Boston College 15-12, LIU 23-4 and NYU 15-12.
The Carolina women dropped their opener, 17-10 to BC, but then rebounded in a big way with three straight wins, capped by the landmark victory over the Wildcats.
"They are starting to believe more and more, I can do this," UNC coach Matt Jednak said of his women's squad. "We've got a younger squad in some of these weapons and to have them be in big pressure moments where they can't back away from it … you can't sit down, you have to stand up, you have to be in that space, and you have your family and friends here. They stood up, they did a great job."
🚨 BIG W! 🚨
The Tar Heel women edge No. 8 Northwestern, 14-13 🫡#GoHeels pic.twitter.com/IDaUuSymLd— Carolina Fencing (@UNCFencing) February 10, 2024
Senior Sophia Mandour is part of the women's foil squad that beat the Wildcats 6-3. (Northwestern took sabre 6-3, and Carolina earned a 5-4 win in epee.) "They're a really wonderful team and I think we really worked together on how we can help each other win the next bout as a team," she said. "Women's foil did a great job of giving each other advice for the next bout so we could all be prepared."
For all the Tar Heels, the crowd was the day's takeaway. When competing on the road, it's generally just the Tar Heel teams cheering for each other, with a handful of families there to support. In this case, the fencers looked around them and saw classmates, program alums, coaches of other UNC teams, and lots of department staff.
"This is my first home meet and it was crazy," freshman Boris Muga said. "The atmosphere is unlike anything I've had before. The audience just gave me a boost."
The team celebrated Senior Day between the morning and afternoon sessions, honoring 11 seniors who together made up the first recruiting class for Jednak. "There have been ups and downs along the way but to have them all here and recognize them, it's really special," he said.
The Tar Heels now look ahead to Junior Olympics Feb. 16-19 and then Atlantic Coast Conference Championships Feb. 24-25 in South Bend, Ind.
🚨 BIG W! 🚨
The Tar Heel women edge No. 8 Northwestern, 14-13 🫡#GoHeels pic.twitter.com/IDaUuSymLd— Carolina Fencing (@UNCFencing) February 10, 2024
Tar Heel Duals
UNC Results
Round 1
BC 17, UNC women 10
UNC men 15, BC 12
Round 2
UNC women 18, LIU 9
UNC men 23, LIU 4
Round 3
UNC women 16, NYU 11
UNC men 15, NYU 12
Round 4
UNC women 14, Northwestern 13
Round 5
Temple 20, UNC women 7
Players Mentioned
Foil/Left Hand
/ Fencing
Epee/Right Hand
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