Feb. 8, 2008

DURHAM, N.C. - The North Carolina men's fencing team finished 4-1 at the Duke Dual Meets on Friday. The Tar Heels' sole loss came to their biggest rivals, the Blue Devils.

The loss also came in the last minute of competition where the next touch won it all. Duke made that touch to take the match 13-14. The match was up for grabs until the last touch hit.

"I don't think either team ever led by more than two bouts," Head Coach Ron Miller said. "The lead switched six or seven times, so it was very good. Coming down the stretch, we knew it was going to come down to foil. In the last round all three bouts were 5-4. We only won one. That was the difference. The last bout was 5-4, and it came down to the last touch. It doesn't get any closer that that."

Despite the devastation, the Tar Heels saw some quality performances by all three squads.

"Even though we lost we fought to the end," junior epee fencer Ben Gellis said. "Our men's foil team faced one of the best foil teams in the country. They really fought hard. I thought that was a great accomplishment for them. Everyone was fencing at their best."

North Carolina's effort paid off against its other opponents as the Tar Heels defeated Brandeis 16-11, M.I.T. 18-9, Johns Hopkins 15-12 and Air Force 15-12.

Johns Hopkins was another rival for the Tar Heels this season. After the Blue Jays beat them for the first time in Miller's career last season, a strong rivalry developed. North Carolina got its revenge as it defeated Johns Hopkins by three bouts.

"It was really a big let down last time that we lost to them," Gellis said. "We wanted to come in, and we wanted to show them that we were the better team. We fought hard. It was right after the Duke match so it was great that we didn't have a let down. There was a huge turnaround for my [epee] squad because we went 1-8 against them last time."

Miller was especially proud of Gellis's performance. He had not seen much competition, but stepped up when he was needed.

"Ben has been solid all year," Miller said. "Today with illness in the epee squad and a little inconsistency Ben got his chance. He certainly shined. It's wonderful when you see an athlete who has trained as hard as he has, and come as far as he has to have a great day. I can't say anything more than he was super today."

The Tar Heels also had strong support from senior foil fencer Jamie Lawrence and senior epee fencer Benton Heimsath, who finished 13-2 on the day. Everyone benefited from the familiar surroundings as North Carolina competed only eight miles from home. The short trip allowed the whole team to attend, show their support and even in some cases, participate.

"It's really exciting," Lawrence said. "We usually have a couple trips in the year we make with the whole team. This year there was only one. It's really exciting to have everyone screaming and cheering. A lot of the guys who work really hard throughout the year had a chance to compete today."

Both Miller and Gellis saw something in the Tar Heels on Friday that really stood out.

"They never gave up on anything," Miller said. "That's something that they learned last weekend. It didn't matter what the score was, whether they were ahead or behind, they did pretty much what they needed to do."

Gellis saw that persevering instinct throughout the day.

"We're not always the most talented team," Gellis said, "But we always have a great amount of heart. We fight to the end. I thought that today, and last weekend too, we really fought extremely hard."

North Carolina will shift its focus from team to individual as some fencers have qualified for postseason competition.

"The focus is more on the individuals that are going on," Miller said. "But everybody else still helps out by providing them bout partners for training."

The Tar Heels will have 12 representatives from the men's team at regionals on March 1 in New Jersey. There will be more opportunities for competition before then though at the Junior Olympics. On February 24 the top nine fencers will also compete in the MAFCA Conference Championships.

North Carolina will maintain its focus on the Duke Dual Meets Saturday when the women compete in their final meet of the regular season. An elusive Carlyle Cup point is also at stake when the Tar Heels face Duke.

"All they have to do is win 15-12 and we win the Carlyle point," Miller said. "We're still looking for that. The overall goal is not over."