Duke Men, Women Post Two Wins Apiece at Elite Invitational

Sunday, November 9

Columbus, Ohio

Duke University

Elite Invitational

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Duke Men, Women Post Two Wins Apiece at Elite Invitational

11/9/2025 5:03:00 PM | Fencing

Final Results (PDF)

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Duke fencing teams posted two wins apiece, including a sweep of host Ohio State, to headline a strong showing at the Elite Invitational Sunday inside French Field House.

In addition to victories over the Buckeyes, the No. 8 Blue Devil women earned a win over No. 7 Penn, while the ninth-ranked Duke men defeated third-ranked Harvard in a thrilling, come-from-behind victory.

DUKE VS. PENN:
Men | No. 6 Penn 15, No. 9 Duke 12

Duke posted a 6-3 victory in foil, but Penn triumphs in épée (5-4) and saber (7-2) proved to be the difference.
The Blue Devils led 5-4 after the first set of bouts behind 2-1 wins in foil and épée.
Round two saw the Quakers surge ahead, 10-8, taking the matches at épée and saber.
Duke made a late push in the third round and secured 2-1 victories in both foil and saber, but a 3-0 sweep in the épée by Penn helped give the Quakers the victory.

Women | No. 8 Duke 18, No. 7 Penn 9

The Blue Devils used strong efforts in foil (8-1) and saber (6-3) to secure a decisive opening win.
Duke raced to a 7-2 advantage after the opening round, garnering 3-0 victories in both foil and saber.
The Blue Devils extended their lead to 12-6 after the second round with 2-1 triumphs in the foil and épée events before closing with another solid performance in round three (6-3) to clinch the win over the Quakers.

DUKE VS. HARVARD:
Men | No. 9 Duke 14, No. 3 Harvard 13

Duke's men got off a slow start, trailing the Crimson 5-4 after the first round of fencing. The Blue Devils won foil in the first set of bouts with Owen Li and Dayaal Singh coming out victorious.
The Crimson extended its advantage to as many as five, 10-5, before the Blue Devils launched rally attempt.
Duke dominated the final round, 7-2, headlined by a 3-0 sweep in the saber. Freshman Zachary Shoman came through for the Blue Devils in the clutch, earning a 5-1 win in his saber bout to notch the deciding point and give his team the victory.

Women | No. 3 Harvard 16, No. 8 Duke 11

The Blue Devils tallied a 5-4 victory in foil, but Harvard came out on top in épée (7-2) and saber (5-4) en route to picking up the team win.
Duke trailed 5-4 following opening-round action, with individual wins for the Blue Devils coming via Abi Lau and Zizi Newhard in foil, Yeva Mazur in épée and Vicky Gorman in saber. The Blue Devils leveled the score at 9-9, winning their matches at sabre (3-0) and foil (2-1) in the second round.
Harvard closed strong, going 7-2 in the final bouts to lock down the result.

DUKE VS. PRINCETON:
Men | No. 4 Princeton 14, No. 9 Duke 13

Duke earned 5-4 wins in both épée and saber but faltered in foil, 6-3, suffering a narrow loss to Princeton.
The Blue Devils came out of the gates red hot and held a 7-2 ledger following the opening round. Duke tallied a 3-0 sweep in saber and earned 2-1 decisions in foil and épée.
Princeton responded, going 7-2 in round two to even the score at 9-9 heading into the final round.
Duke experienced some late success in its épée and saber matchups, but a 3-0 sweep in foil by Princeton allowed the Tigers to steal the victory.

Women | No. 4 Princeton 17, No. 8 Duke 10

The Blue Devils won foil in the first set of bouts courtesy of victories by Newhard and Skylar Knight, but it was the Tigers who held the 5-4 advantage after the first round of fencing.
Duke battled back to knot the score at nine apiece with a solid effort in the second round, with Lau and Newhard (foil), Vanessa Lin and Yeva Mazur (épée) and Hava Stone (saber) all prevailing in their matchups.
The Blue Devils were unable to carry the momentum into their final bouts, however, as Princeton commanded the final round (8-1) to pull away for the victory.

DUKE VS. OHIO STATE:
Men | No. 9 Duke 15, No. 5 Ohio State 12

The Blue Devil men capped the afternoon with a signature 15-12 triumph over host Ohio State, highlighted by victories in foil (5-4) and saber (6-3).
Duke held a 5-4 margin after the opening round, recording 2-1 victories in foil and saber. Aidan Lee and Owen Li (foil) and Lev Ermakov and Ethan Huang (saber) each won their respective bouts to give the visitors the early lead.
The Blue Devils extended the advantage to four, 11-7, claiming six matches in round two.
Ohio State attempted to rally late but to no avail as Duke held firm.

Women | No. 8 Duke 20, No. 6 Ohio State 7

A stellar performance by the Duke women in their finale propelled the team past the Buckeyes, 20-7, and completed the Blue Devils' sweep of the hosts. Duke captured all three weapons, headlined by 8-1 and 7-2 margins in foil and saber, respectively.
The Blue Devils jumped out to a 7-2 advantage after the first round of action, headlined by a 3-0 sweep in foil. Duke extended its advantage to six in the second round, with the margin standing at 12-6 after the second round. Duke put the finishing touches on the victory with an 8-1 showing in the final round, headlined by 3-0 sweeps in foil and saber.
Newhard (foil) and Kunling Tong (saber) paced the efforts for Duke with both individuals going 3-0 against the Buckeyes.

QUOTE:
"It was a challenging but successful competition for us. We faced four higher-ranked teams and fought with great spirit. This weekend, I scheduled intense matches for us because I wanted us to be tested and truly understand where we stand. The pressure was high, but our fencers rose to the occasion and secured two strong wins. We're hungry for more but I am confident in our progress heading into the second semester. Go Duke!" – Duke head coach Omar Elgeziry

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