Nov. 30, 2009
TAUBERBISCHOFSHEIM, Germany – – Sophomore epeeist Courtney Hurley (San Antonio, TX/Earl Warren) took home the women’s epee gold medal at a Junior World Cup event that concluded on November 28, marking her third consecutive JWC gold medal finish in the month of November. She previously took home gold medals on Nov. 1 in Montreal, Canada and on Nov. 22 in Helsinki, Finland.
After pool play, Hurley was seeded 18th overall in the final table of 64. In her first elimination bout, Hurley edged Germany’s Sofia Stuermer, 15-12. In the round of 32, Hurley downed Germany’s Ricarda Multerer by a score of 15-8. In her third consecutive bout versus German opposition, Hurley then defeated Fleur Klingelberger by a narrow 15-14 score.
In the quarterfinals, Hurley met Switzerland’s Anina Hochstrasser, whom she defeated by a 15-7 margin. In the semifinals, Hurley cruised past fifth-seeded Lauren Rembi of France, 15-5, to set up a championship showdown with Russia’s Eugeniya Seregina. Hurley then claimed the gold with a 15-11 win over Seregina.
“It is so rewarding for our program to see how Courtney is growing as a person and as a Notre Dame student-athlete,” noted Fighting Irish fencing head coach Janusz Bednarski. “She is strong in the classroom, ambitious on the strip, and at the beginning of the season she has started to dominate the World in the women’s epee junior age category, showing wonderful progress on all fronts.”
With the win, Hurley earned 32 points towards her junior ranking and is positioned to possibly take over the top spot in the FIE’s junior epee rankings when they are next released. Since competing in her first junior tournament in 2003, Hurley has turned in 14 top-five finishes at various Junior World Cup events, including six gold medal finishes.
Hurley and the Irish fencing team’s next collegiate event of the year will be take place on Dec. 5 when the team travels to Detroit, Mich. to take part in the I.Danosi Cup at Wayne State.
— ND —