The No. 2 Ohio State fencing team refuses to be foiled on its route to the NCAA tournament as the men’s and women’s squads won a combined 15 bouts at the Notre Dame Duals despite missing three of their best competitors.

The Buckeyes lacked two sabre competitors – defending 2003 national champion Adam Crompton and 2003 bronze medalist Jason Rogers – who were at a World Cup event in Budapest, Hungary. Hanna Thompson, who competes in the foil, was in Como, Italy in a junior tournament.

The Buckeye men (23-2) went 8-1 over the weekend in South Bend, Ind., losing only to No. 1 Notre Dame in a 15-12 thriller. Against its other opposition, OSU won by a 200-16 combined margin. The Buckeyes defeated Detroit, Cleveland State, Cal State Fullerton, Lawrence, UC San Diego, Air Force, Wayne State and Northwestern.

Ohio State’s coach Vladimir Nazlymov is even-keeled about all the success.

“The Notre Dame tournament is a hard fight; they are the NCAA champions,” he said. “But we are not too far from this team.”

The women (22-2) went 7-2, losing only to the Fighting Irish and No. 5 Northwestern. They defeated Detroit, Cleveland State, Cal State Fullerton, Lawrence, UC San Diego, Air Force and Wayne State.

Thompson and Crompton could afford to miss the Notre Dame tournament because they already qualified for the NCAA Championships, which will be held at Brandeis University in suburban Boston.

Crompton was happy with his performance in Hungary as he finished in the top 64. This result helped propel the sophomore from Newark, N.J., towards a birth in the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

“(Going to the Olympics), it’s a dream come true,” he said. “I’ve been dreaming about this a long time. Now it’s here, and I need to reach out and grab the opportunity.”

Thompson is also in the running for a spot in the Olympics.

Nazlymov is staying relaxed.

“Some days the season looks perfect, but like any team, there are good days and bad days,” he said.

In terms of NCAA competition, the Buckeyes have high expectations going into the end of the season.

“My goal is to win the NCAAs because last year I won,” Crompton said. “I am trying to hold on to my title.”

On the women’s side the Buckeyes are led by Thompson, her sister, Metta Thompson, and seniors Molly Krebs and Alexandra Shklar, last season’s NCAA bronze medalist in the epee.

Metta Thompson is quick to praise the younger members of both teams.

“We have a couple of very strong freshmen that are doing well like Boaz Ellis, Denis Tolkachev and Kaela Brendler,” she said. “Everyone has made a contribution and has been great.”

She also sees success ahead at the national championships.

“Overall, we can win the NCAAs, we are really focused on it and everybody wants it incredibly bad,” Metta Thompson said.