Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
NCAA Championships
Players Mentioned
Hudson Places Second in Épée Final as Princeton Stands Fifth
March 20, 2015 | Men's Fencing, Women's Fencing
Jack Hudson fenced for the NCAA épée title but came up just one place short of winning it all.
Hudson, a junior, was in the NCAA individual final for the first time after seeing his run end in the semis a year ago, but Columbia's Jake Hoyle took home the title after a 15-11 win. Hoyle got out to a 5-0 lead by the second period, and although Hudson got to within 8-5, time ran out on Hudson's pursuit.
Hudson fell behind in the semis, but he rallied and led only when it mattered most. Ohio State's Lewis Weiss took an 8-5 lead during the second period before Hudson caught him at 11-11 early in the third. The match stood tied at 13-13 heading to overtime, where Hudson scored the clinching touch.
Hudson led a perfect five-for-five with Princeton's men earning All-America finishes, placing third out of the pool bouts with 17 wins. Fellow épée Alex House took 11th, while foil Thomas Dudey placed ninth and sabers Edward Chin and Peter Pak were back-to-back in eighth and ninth. It is the second All-America honor each for Hudson and Pak, while Dudey, Chin and House each earned his first. All five can aim to earn more, with Hudson the veteran as a junior, Pak and House as sophomores, and Chin and Dudey freshmen.
Princeton ended the men's competition in fifth place, with 70 wins. Ohio State leads with 84, followed by Columbia (81), Penn State (80), Penn (77) and Princeton and St. John's with 70 apiece. Harvard and Notre Dame are close behind with 68, but there's a wide gap between eighth and ninth-place Duke at 34 wins.
That Princeton has qualified the maximum six women plays a big role, as only Columbia, Princeton and Notre Dame have that advantage. Despite leading the field, Ohio State has just 92 women's matches left to score points, with Columbia, Princeton and Notre Dame with 138 to go, Penn State, St. John's and Harvard at 115 matches left, and Penn with 46.
The women's competition will get underway at 9:30 a.m. Friday. Complete results from the men's meet and live results of the women's bouts are available here.