Jan. 18, 2002

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Three members of the Notre Dame fencing program were in action Friday during the preliminary rounds of the North American Cup international fencing tournament, a four-day event at the Century Center, with 19 more Irish fencers set to compete this weekend in the elite event that includes most of the top fencers in the United States (plus several top foreign competitors).

Freshman Kerry Walton (Londonderry, N.H.) placed fifth in the junior women’s foil competition while freshman Michal Sobieraj (Krakow, Poland) advanced to Saturday’s final-32 in the senior men’s epee competition. Notre Dame junior men’s epee captain Jan Viviani received a bye into Saturday’s action, as one of the top 16 seeds.

Junior Liza Boutsikaris (Sparta, N.J.) also competed on Friday but failed to advance in the senior women’s foil competition.

Saturday’s competition opens at 8:00 with the preliminary bouts in senior women’s epee–featuring ND juniors Anna Carnick and Meagan Call-while freshman Derek Snyder will be competing in the junior men’s foil. Sobieraj and Viviani then will compete in the conclusion of the senior’s men’s epee competition (11:00 a.m.) while sophomore Jessie Filkins will be competing in the junior women’s sabre.

Notre Dame’s dynamic duo of freshmen Alicja Kryczalo (No. 2 seed) and fifth-seeded Andrea Ament are considered leading contenders in the conclusion of the senior women’s foil (2:00 p.m.) while fifth-year fencer Andrzej Bednarski will compete in the preliminary rounds of senior men’s foil at 3:00 (junior Matt Fabricant also could compete on Saturday but may receive a bye into the sabre round of 32).

Most of the competition concludes on Sunday, with several of the above fencers likely to compete-in addition to junior men’s foil captain Ozren Debic, senior men’s sabre captain Andre Crompton (the No. 10 seed) and the women’s sabre threesome of fifth-year captain Carianne McCullough and sophomores Destanie Milo and Maggie Jordan.

Walton also will fence again on Sunday in the senior women’s epee (as the No. 8 seed), as will Ament in the junior women’s foil. The action concludes on Monday morning with the final men’s foil and women’s sabre bouts (see complete schedule below).

Saturday

starting at 8:00 a.m. – senior women’s epee (Anna Carnick, Meagan Call) and junior men’s foil (Derek Snyder)

11:00 a.m. – senior men’s epee (Michal Sobieraj, Jan Viviani) , junior women’s sabre (Jessie Filkins)

2:00 p.m. – senior women’s foil (#2 seed Alicja Kryczalo, #5 seed Andrea Ament)

3:00 p.m. – senior men’s sabre (Andrzej Bednarski, Matt Fabricant/possible bye)

Sunday

8:00 a.m. – senior men’s foil (Snyder, Ozren Debic, Steve Mautone, Jeremy Beau, Matt Castellan)

9:00 a.m. – junior men’s epee (Michael Macauley, Nick Schumacher)

11:00 a.m. – senior men’s sabre (conclusion, incl. #10 seed Andre Crompton)

Noon – senior women’s epee (conclusion, incl. #8 seed Walton)

2:00 p.m. – senior women’s sabre (Filkins, Maggie Jordan, Carianne McCullough, Destanie Milo) and junior women’s foil (Ament)

Monday

8:00 a.m. – senior men’s foil (conclusion), senior women’s sabre (conclusion)