March 14, 2008
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Sophomore Kelley Hurley and freshman Sarah Borrmann captured gold in the epee and saber, respectively, for Notre Dame during the second and final day of women’s competition at the 2008 NCAA Fencing Championships on the Ohio State University campus. The Fighting Irish had all six qualified fencers earn All-America status.
Notre Dame finished three wins behind Ohio State, 101-98, at the conclusion of the women’s action. Columbia/Barnard was third with 82 victories followed by St. John’s (75) and Penn State (68) to round out the top five women’s teams. Men’s competition at the championships commences on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. (ET) with rounds one through four. The final three men’s rounds will take place on Sunday beginning at 9:30 a.m. (ET).
The Fighting Irish advanced both epee qualifiers into direct elimination, which features the top-four fencers in each weapon. Notre Dame freshman Ewa Nelip, the third seed, was topped by St. John’s Reka Szele (No. 2 seed) in the semifinals, 15-4. Nelip defeated top-seeded Alexandra Obrazcova, 15-9, from Ohio State in the third-place bout to earn the bronze medal and first-team All-America honors. Hurley, who was seeded fourth, defeated Obrazcova in the semis and then downed Szele, 11-10, to claim the gold. As a freshman last season, Hurley captured silver and she is now a two-time first-team All-American.
In the foil, Notre Dame’s Adrienne Nott was the third seed in direct elimination and fell to No. 2 seed Monika Golebiewski from St. John’s in the semifinals, 15-6. Nott was then bested by Columbia/Barnard’s Nicole Ross, 15-2, for the bronze. The Irish junior copped first-team All-America honors with her fourth-place finish. Nott is now a three-time All-American after earning bronze last season to go along with a sixth-place finish as a freshman in 2006, which gave her second-team distinction. Fighting Irish freshman Hayley Reese placed 11th to claim third-team All-America status during her first action in NCAA Championships competition.
Notre Dame boasted two more All-America honorees in the saber. Borrmann earned first-team accolades, while freshman Eileen Hassett finished fifth to receive second-team honors. Borrmann, the third seed, took out Wayne State’s Karolina Budna (No. 2 seed), 15-10, in the semifinals before defeating top seed Siobhan Byrne from Ohio State, 15-11, in the championship bout to earn the gold.
Live results of the NCAA Fencing Championships can be found at www.prisedefer.com. For more information, log onto www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com and www.ncaa.com.
NCAA Fencing Championships
Columbus, Ohio • March 14, 2008
Final Women’s Standings
Top-five teams (of 23)
1. Ohio State, 101 (25e, 39f, 37s)
2. Notre Dame, 98 (32e, 30f, 36s)
3. Columbia/Barnard, 82 (17e, 30f, 35s)
4. St. John’s, 75 (32e, 29f, 14s)
5. Penn State, 68 (31e, 29f, 8s)
Notre Dame Qualifiers
Epee
1. Kelley Hurley (First-Team All-American)
3. Ewa Nelip (First-Team All-American)
Foil
4. Adrienne Nott (First-Team All-American)
11. Hayley Reese (Third-Team All-American)
Saber
1. Sarah Borrmann (First-Team All-American)
5. Eileen Hassett (Second-Team All-American)
— ND —