NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Coming off the program’s 11th national championship in March, the Notre Dame fencing team is pleased to announce members of their incoming class. Five new student-athletes will join the Irish squad as they look to defend their championship during the 2021-22 season.
Sabreists Jadeyn Williams, Henry Nadile, Alexandre Lacaze, and foilists Nicole Pustilnik and Rebeca Candescu will all be joining the Irish this upcoming fall and bring a wealth of international experience to the team.
Candescu has represented Romania at the Junior and Cadet World Championships along with the Youth Olympic Games. Lacaze represented France at the European Championships while holding the top cadet national ranking in France. Pustilnik has represented Israel, coming up with silver at the most recent Junior-Cadet World Championships in Cairo while Nadile and Williams have both fenced for the United States. Williams is a 3-time USA Fencing national gold medalist and a Junior Olympic silver medalist.
For more info on all five of the incoming signees, check out their bios below.
Rebeca Candescu
Foil
5-5
Metuchen, NJ
V Fencing Club
- Finished in the Top-32 at the Junior World Championships in 2019
- Earned ninth at the Youth Olympic Game in 2018
- Tallied a seventh place finish at the Junior and Cadet World Championships in 2018 and 2017
- Finished runner-up with the team at the Cadet European Championship in 2017
- Recorded a third place finish with the team at the Cadet European Championship in 2018
- Daughter of Gianina and George Candescu
- Brother Cristian is a fencer at NJIT and placed 9th overall at the 2021 NCAA Championships
- Intends to major in neuroscience
Alexandre Lacaze
Sabre
6-0
Saint-Mandé, France
Cercle d’Escrime Orléanais
- Has won two French Nationals Circuits
- Finished first at the French National Ranking in cadet in 2019-2020
- Tallied a runner-up finish at the Cadet International Circuit of Meylan in 2019
- Finished fourth at the 2019 European championships in team
- Earned a Top-40 finish (33rd) at the 2019 World Championships
- Tallied a 23rd place finish at the 2019 European Championships
- Son to Valérie and Hervé Lacaze
- Has one sister, Ludivine
- Intends to major in economics
Henry “Hank” Nadile
Sabre
6-1
Tarrytown, NY
Tim Morehouse Fencing Club
- Finished Top-Eight in the Cadet World Cup in Eislingen Germany in 2018
- Tallied a Top-16 finish in the Portland Div 1 NAC in 2017
- Top-16 in the Junior World Cup in Phoenix in 2019
- Won the Division 1 Gold Medal for the team event with Jonah Shainberg
- Son to Janet and Vincent Nadile
- Has two sisters, Jacqueline and Victoria
- Intends to major in political science
Nicole Pustilnik
Foil
5-2
San Diego, CA
Team Touche Fencing Center
- Finished runner-up in Junior Women’s Foil at the 2021 Junior World Championships in Cairo, Egypt
- Won the Junior Women’s Foil at the 2019 Eden World Cup in London, Great Britain
- Placed runner-up in Division I Women’s Foil at the October North American Cup in 2019
- Daughter to Ilya Pustilnik and Anna Pustilnik
- Has one brother, Mark
- Intends to major in science preprofessional
Jadeyn Williams
Sabre
5-8
Somerset, NJ
Advance Fencing & Fitness Academy
- 3x USA Fencing National gold medalist
- Won silver at the Junior Olympics
- Recorded a bronze medal at the World Cup
- Anchor for USA World Cup team and won gold in Hungary and silver in Germany
- Named Athlete of the Week by Joint Motion Physical Group
- 3x NJSIAA Independent Schools champion
- 2x NJSIAA Individual Championship medalist
- Daughter to Lauren Warren-Williams and Eric Williams
- Intends to major in psychology
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