July 30, 2018
By Joanne Norell
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Current and former University of Notre Dame fencers brought home plenty of hardware after representing the United States at the 2018 World Fencing Championships. A combined six Irish fencers accounted for two team gold medals, a team silver and an individual bronze at the competition, held July 19-27 in Wuxi, China.
The American women’s epee squad brought home the nation’s first gold medal in that weapon, with three of the team’s four members – Kelley Hurley (’11), Courtney Hurley (’14) and Amanda Sirico (’19) – sporting Notre Dame ties. Individually, Courtney Hurley snared a bronze medal, while sister Kelley placed 20th and 2013 graduate Ewa Nelip placed 34th while competing for Poland (which placed seventh in the team competition).
Lee Kiefer also helped lead the U.S. women’s foil team to a first, as the squad also snagged gold, the first by any U.S. foil team. Kiefer herself placed sixth individually.
Gerek Meinhardt (’14, ’15) and the U.S. men’s foil team took home the silver medal, coming in behind Italy in the team competition. Meinhardt placed 36th as an individual.
2018 World Fencing Championships
Wuxi, China
July 19-27, 2018
Senior Women’s Epee (Individual)
3T. Courtney Hurley (’13)
20. Kelley Hurley (’11)
34. Ewa Nelip (’13) (Poland)
Senior Women’s Foil (Individual)
6. Lee Kiefer (’17)
Senior Men’s Foil (Individual)
36. Gerek Meinhardt (’14, ’15)
Senior Women’s Epee (Team)
1. Team USA (C. Hurley, K. Hurley, Amanda Sirico [’19])
7. Team Poland (E. Nelip)
Senior Women’s Foil (Team)
1. Team USA (L. Kiefer)
Senior Men’s Foil (Team)
2. Team USA (G. Meinhardt)
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Joanne Norell, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since 2014 and coordinates communications efforts for the Notre Dame men’s tennis and fencing programs, in addition to assisting with football communications and overseeing production of the football Gameday Magazine. Norell is a 2011 graduate of Purdue University and earned her master’s degree from Georgetown University in 2013.