Feb. 28, 2009
Photo Gallery 
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The Irish fencers returned to the strips at Notre Dame’s Joyce Center to take part in the 11th Midwest Fencing Conference Championships. Saturday featured the individual championships for each weapon and Karol Kostka (Krakow, Poland), Sarah Borrmann (Beaverton, Ore.) and Courtney Hurley (San Antonio, Texas) combined to claim three titles for the Irish.
Borrmann won the first title of the day as she knocked off Ohio State’s Margarita Tschomakova in the final, 15-8. Borrmann became just the second Notre Dame women’s sabreist to take home the individual title at the MFC Championships, and the first since Valerie Providenza did so in 2005.
Notre Dame’s next gold medal finish was turned in by Kostka, who, trailing by three touches when his opponent only needed to land one, rallied to take the men’s epee championship. 2009 marks Kostka’s second consecutive year of winning top individual honors at the MFC Championships in men’s epee.
Hurley sealed the third individual title of the day for the Irish when she defeated Northwestern’s Joanna Niklinska by a score of 15-8 in the championship bout. It is the third year in a row that a Notre Dame freshman has claimed the title in women’s epee as Courtney’s older sister Kelley Hurley (San Antonio, Texas) did so in 2007 and Ewa Nelip (Katowice, Poland) won last season’s title.
Kostka, Borrmmann and Courtney Hurley all earned first team All-MFC honors with their championships, as the top-four finishers in each weapon earn the distinction. The next four finishers are named to the All-MFC second team, while the following four fencers earn honorable mention accolades. Other notable finishes by the Irish included Avery Zuck’s (Beaverton, Ore.) second place finish in men’s sabre and Hayley Reese’s (Crestwood, N.J.) run to the title bout in women’s foil.
Saturday’s other champions included Northwestern’s Samantha Nemecek in women’s foil, as well as the Ohio State duo of Andras Horanyi in men’s foil and John Friend in men’s sabre.
The Irish fencers return to action tomorrow morning as the MFC Championships continue with the team portion of the event. Fencing is scheduled to begin at 8:00 a.m. inside the Joyce Center on Notre Dame’s campus.
Men’s Epee (80 participants)
Kostka earned his individual championship with an epic win over Ohio State’s Igor Tolkachev, 15-14. Kostka was down 14-12, but rallied off three straight touches to claim the win over his rival Buckeye. He entered direct elimination tied for the first seed overall and earned a bye in the first round. He defeated Minnesota’s Brian Hodge, 15-4, in the round of 32 and then knocked off Colin McIntrye of Michigan, 15-6. In the round of 16 he downed Northwestern’s Davidson Barr, 15-9 to enter the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals was pitted against teammate Christopoher Pinkowski (Simi Valley, Calif.) and Kostka proved victorious by a 15-10 margin. In the semifinals he knocked off Wayne State’s Slava Zingerman in a close match, 15-12.
Jacob Osborne (Colleyville, Texas) made a run to the semifinals to earn first-team All-Conference honors. He entered the direct elimination tied for the tenth seed, which gave him a bye in the round of 128. In the round of 64 he downed Brian Flick of Xavier, 15-4, and proceeded to take out Northwestern’s Michael Nussbaum, 15-6, in the round of 32. In the final 16, Osborne knocked out his Irish teammate Connor Gettings (Lake Forest, Ill.) by a score of 15-9. In the last eight Osborne upset top-seeded Jason Pryor of rival Ohio State, 15-12, to advance to the semifinals. But he could not make it two in a row against the Buckeyes, as Tolkachev earned a 15-12 win in the semis.
Joining Kostka and Osborne in the final eight were Pinkowski and Greg Schoolcraft, both of whom earned second-team All-Conference honors. Pinkowski was knocked out but Kostka, but not before he had an impressive run as the eighth seed. He had a bye in the first round and took out Illinois’ Charith Jayasinghe in the round of 64, 15-9. In the round of 32, he beat OSU’s Bishara Korkor, 15-13. To advance to the final eight, Pinkowski took out fellow eight seed Andy Snell of Cleveland State, 15-14.
Schoolcraft entered direct elimination tied for the fourth seed, and thus he had a bye into the round of 64, in which he defeated Luke Schweiterman of Xavier, 15-3. In the round of 32 he knocked off Michigan’s Marvin Lowenthal, 15-4. He then advanced to the final eight by virtue of a 15-9 win over Bill Kolodzey of Michigan. But his run ended in the final eight, as he was knocked out by WSU’s Zingerman in a close bout, 15-12.
Also competing in the epee draw for the Irish were Gettings, Brent Kelly (Grapevine, Texas), Andrew Seroff (Boulder, Colo.), Bill Ehrlich (Woodbury, Minn.), Chris Pfarr (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) and Rich Molina (Newark, N.J.). Gettings, the seventh seed, advanced to the final 16 with wins over Purdue’s Justin Leoni, 15-7, and Northwestern’s Dan Reed 15-8, before being knocked out by Osborne. He finished in 11th to earn MFC honorable mention accolades.
Kelly entered direct elimination as the 15th seed, earning a bye into the round of 64. He took out Lawrence’s Jordan Severson by a 15-4 margin and proceeded to knock out Seroff, 15-9, in an all-Irish round of 32 showdown. But Kelly’s run was halted by top-seeded Pryor of Ohio State in the round of 16 by a score of 15-10. Seroff made it to his round of 32 bout versus Kelly by virtue of a first round bye and a win over Nicholas Beatty of Iowa, 15-4. Kelly finished in 14th, while Seroff finished 19th.
Ehrlich, who finished 29th overall, earned a bye into the round of 64, in which he defeated Josh Castle of Michigan State by a score of 15-13. But in the round of 32 he was downed by Zingerman of Wayne State, 15-8.
Rounding out the Irish contingent were Pfarr, who finished 34th, and Molina, who finished 36th. Pfarr, after earning a first round bye, fell to Eric Gurnowski of Ohio State, 15-6, in the round of 64. Molina also fell to Buckeye opposition in the round of 32, as he was knocked out by Bishara Korkor, 15-9.
Pool Play (record): Greg Schoolcraft (7-0) … Karol Kostka (7-0) … Jacob Osborne (6-1) … Connor Gettings (6-1) … Brent Kelly (6-1) … Andrew Seroff (6-1) … Chris Pinkowski (6-1) … Chris Pfarr (5-2) … Bill Ehrlich (4-3).
Men’s Foil (66) Enzo Castellani (Keller, TX) made a run to the finals to earn first-team All-Conference honors. After pool play, he was seeded fifth, earning a bye into the round of 64, where he knocked off Azim Ghandi of Illinois, 15-3. He then defeated Zach Newman of Ohio State, 15-3. In the round of 16, Castellani beat Purdue’s Pavel Pruksakov, 15-3, to advance to the quarterfinals, where he knocked off Philip Chan of Illinois, 15-2. In the semifinals, he encountered Irish teammate Zach Schirtz (Rochester, NY). Castellani defeated Schirtz, 15-8, to advance to the finals. In the finals, he fell to Ohio State’s Andras Horanyi, 15-5, to claim second place.
Zach Schirtz (Rochester, N.Y.) and Steve Kubik (San Antonio, Texas) also made runs to the semifinals to earn first-team All-Conference honors. Schirtz entered the direct elimination round seeded first overall, which earned him a first round bye. He then defeated Eduard Chavez of Case Western, 15-1, in the round of 64. In the round of 32, Schirtz beat Wayne State’s Micheal Ramlow, 15-4, to advance to the round of 16. Next he knocked off Ohio State’s Colin Sutter, 15-7. In the quarterfinals, he encountered teammate, Mark Kubik (San Antonio, TX). He beat Kubik, 15-11, to advance to the semifinals, where he fell to Castellani. Schirtz finished the tournament in a tie for third with teammate Steve Kubik.
Steve Kubik was seeded second entering the direct elimination round. Following a first round bye, he defeated Zak Stromquist of Minnesota, 15-1, in the round of 64. He then blanked Justin Schaudt of Michigan State, 15-0. In the round of 16, he knocked off Wisconsin’s Ryan Petty, 15-4. In the quarterfinals, he faced his teammate, Nicholas Crebs (Beaverton, Ore.), whom he defeated 15-8. Kubik then lost to third-seeded Andras Horanyi of Ohio State, 15-8, in the semifinals. He finished the tournament in a tie for third with Schirtz.
Joining Castellani, Schirtz and Steve Kubik in the final eight were Reggie Bentley (Louisville, Ky.), Mark Kubik and Crebs. Bentley entered the direct elimination round tied for the sixth seed. Following a first round bye, he beat Bowling Green’s Brent Ritchie, 15-0, in the round of 64. Then he knocked off Michigan’s David Hughes, 15-3, to advance to the round of 16. In the round of 16, he faced Cleveland State’s Liran Gross, whom he defeated 15-10. In the quarterfinals, he lost to third-seeded Horanyi of Ohio State, 15-5. He finished the tournament in sixth place, which earned him second-team All Conference honors.
Mark Kubik was knocked out by Schirtz but not before he had an impressive run as the eighth seed. He had a bye in the first round and knocked off Wisconsin’s Aaron Conger, 15-3, in the round of 64. He then downed Pham Namson of Indiana, 15-6. In the round of 16, Kubik defeated Ohio State’s Joe Doherty, 15-11, to advance to the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals, he fell to Schirtz. He finished the tournament in seventh place, earning second-team All Conference honors in the process.
Crebs entered the direct elimination round seeded tenth, which earned him a first round bye. He then defeated Aaron Kokotek of Oberlin, 15-1, to advance to the round of 32. In the round of 32, he beat Michigan State’s Will Bonner, 15-8 to advance to the round of 16. Next he knocked off Ohio State’s Joe Streb, 15-1, to advance to the quarterfinals, where he fell to Steve Kubik. He finished the tournament in eighth place and earned second-team All-Conference honors.
Also competing for the Irish were Teddy Hodges (Salina, Kan.), Xavier Lebec (Greenwich, Conn.) and Diego Silva (Greenwich, Conn.). Following pool play, Hodges was seeded 17th, which earned him a bye until the round of 64, where he beat Illinois’ Jerome Barral, 15-6. He then fell to Ohio State’s Colin Sutter, 15-6, in the round of 32, finishing the tournament in 16th place. Lebec entered the direct elimination round seeded 26th. Following a first round bye, he defeated Wisconsin’s J.P. Sheehan, 15-5, before falling to sixth-seeded Joe Streb of Ohio State, 15-5, in the round of 32. He finished the tournament in 22nd place. Silva entered the direct elimination round as the 45th seed. He upset 20th-seeded Tim Mulligan of Wayne State, 12-11, in the round of 64, before falling to 13th-seeded Michael Purdy-Sachs of Detroit, 15-5. He finished the tournament in 32nd place.
Pool Play (record): Enzo Castellani (6-0) … Mark Kubik (6-0) … Steve Kubik (6-0) … Zach Schirtz (6-0) … Reggie Bentley (5-0) … Nicholas Crebs (5-0) … Teddy Hodges (4-1) … Xavier Lebec (3-2) … Diego Silva (2-4).
Men’s Sabre (67) Coming into the direct elimination round as the sixth seed, Zuck earned a first round bye. He then faced Andrew Kirchhman of Minnesota in the second round and won handily by a score of 15-2. The round of 32 pitted Zuck against Lawrence University’s Alex Chee, with Zuck winning, 15-8. Next Zuck faced tenth-seeded Alex Gottschalk of Wisconsin and eliminated him by a score of 15-6. In the quarterfinals Zuck had to fence teammate Barron Nydam (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.), who came in tied as the second seed. The bout ended with a victory for Zuck, 15-10, who moved on to face the other two seed, namely Mikhail Momtselidze of Ohio State. A close match ended with Zuck moving to the finals by virtue of a 15-14 win. Zuck lost in the finals to OSU’s John Friend by seven touches, 15-8, but achieved first team All-Conference honors with his second-place finish.
Starting with a first-round bye in the direct elimination portion of the tournament, Nydam entered the second round as a two seed. In his first match, he defeated Greg Solow of Oberlin College 15-1. Nydam then defeated Wisconsin’s Tyler Spriggs, 15-4. In the round of 16, Nydam fenced Ohio State’s 19th-seeded Trent Lindquist and advanced by virtue of a 15-5 win. Nydam lost to Irish teammate Zuck in the final eight but finished sixth overall and was awarded second team MFC All-Conference honors.
Senior captain Bill Thanhouser (Portland, Ore.) emerged from pool play seeded seventh and received a first-round bye in direct elimination play. He faced Purdue’s Emerson Correll in the round of 32 and eliminated him quickly by a score of 15-3. The next round pitted Thanhouser against Michigan State’s Ryan Wagoner, whom he defeated 15-10. Thanhouser then met a fellow Irish fencer in tenth-seeded Marcel Frenkel (Sao Paulo, Brazil). Thanhouser proved victorious, 15-9. Thanhouser then faced off against Mikhail Momtselidze of OSU in the round of eight but lost 15-11. He finished in eighth place and received second team All-Conference honors.
Following pool play, Keith Feldman (Stony Brook, N.Y.) was seeded ninth. After a first round bye, he matched up against Indiana’s Makenzie Johnson, whom he defeated 15-5. He then beat Michigan State’s Ryan Majewski, 15-7, before falling to eighth-seeded John Friend of Ohio State, 15-11. He finished the tournament in ninth place to earn honorable mention All-Conference honors.
Frenkel began the direct elimination round as the tenth seed. Following a first round bye, he beat Ben Shapiro of Chicago, 15-3, in the round of 64. He then knocked off Case Western’s Garret Singer, 15-13, to advance to the round of 16, where he was defeated by Thanhouser. He finished the tournament in a tie for tenth place, which earned him honorable mention All-Conference honors.
After pool play, Tom Horton (Franksville, Wisc.) was seeded 15th, which earned him a bye into the round of 64, where he defeated Thomas Duvall of Bowling Green, 15-0. He then beat Northwestern’s Tom Fox, 15-7, to advance to the round of 16. In the round of 16, Horton fell to second-seeded Mikhail Momtselidze of Ohio State, 15-1. He finished the tournament in 14th place.
Alex Buell (Waterford, Wisc.) began the direct elimination round seeded 14th and had a bye into the round of 64, where he defeated Mark Scherschel of Purdue, 15-6. He then fell to Ohio State’s Trent Ludquist, 15-7, in the round of 32 and finished the tournament in 17th place.
Tony Schlehuber (Carmel, Ind.) entered the direct elimination portion of the tournament seeded 25th. Following a first round bye, he defeated Tom Lorenzo of Detroit, 15-7, before falling to eighth-seeded Friend of Ohio State in the round of 32. He finished the tournament in 22nd place. Matt Pentz (Oak Ridge, N.C.) was seeded 21st entering direct elimination, which earned him a first round bye. He fell to Eric Hasenberg of Illinois, 15-13, in the round of 64, finishing in 34th place. After pool play, John Plunkett (Wyckoff, N.J.) was seeded 56th. He fell in the round of 64 to Ohio State’s Friend, 15-7, finishing in a tie for 56th.
Pool Play (record): Barron Nydam (6-0) … Bill Thanhouser (6-0) … Avery Zuck (6-0) … Keith Feldman (5-0) … Alex Buell (5-1) … Marcel Frenkel (5-1) … Tom Horton (4-1) … Matt Pentz (4-2) … Tony Schlehuber (3-2) … John Plunkett (1-5).
Women’s Epee (67) Courtney Hurley became the third Irish fencer to win a title on the day as she knocked off Northwestern’s Joanna Niklinska, 15-8, in the championship bout. She entered the direct elimination round seeded fifth, which was good enough to earn a first round bye. In the round of 64, she faced Lawrence’s Meghan Bonham, whom she defeated 15-0. She then knocked off Wayne State’s Emanuela Bercera, 15-7 in the round of 32. In the round of eight, Hurley downed Ohio State’s Mary Pozydaev, 15-11, to advance to the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals, Hurley faced her teammate Nelip, whom she defeated 15-10. Hurley then disposed of first-seeded Christa French of Northwestern, 15-10, in the semifinals before beating Niklinska in the finals.
Nelip, Diane Zielinski (Bernardsville, N.J.), and Kimberlee Montoya (Las Vegas, Nev.) joined Hurley in the final eight. Nelip entered the direct elimination round as the fourth seed. Following a bye in the round of 128, she beat Elizabeth Schweitzer of Xavier, 15-3, in the round of 64. She then knocked out Ohio State’s Miriam Baranov, 15-9, to advance to the round of 16. In the round of 16, Nelip took on Michigan State’s Sara Bowers, whom she defeated 15-7. She ended her day with a loss to Hurley in the quarterfinals, finishing fifth place, which earned her second-team All-Conference honors.
Zielinski also had a good day for the Irish as she finished seventh to earn second-team All-Conference honors. She began the direct elimination portion of the tournament seeded seventh, which earned her a first round bye. Then she knocked off Carolyn Grindon of Case Western, 15-5, in the round of 64 before beating Wisconsin’s Lara Szpak, 15-8, in the round of 32. In the round of 16, she faced tenth-seeded Sara Peck of Northwestern, whom she downed 15-6. She finished the day with a loss to Julia Tikhonova of Ohio State, 15-10, in the quarterfinals. Montoya made a run to the quarterfinals as the ninth-seed. Following a bye in the round of 128, she downed Violet Pena of Oberlin, 15-3, in the round of 64. She then beat Erin MacCourtney of Michigan State, 15-11, to advance to the round of 16. In the round of 16, she beat eighth-seeded Elle Brennan of Case Western, 15-4, to advance to the quarterfinals. She lost to first-seeded Christa French of Northwestern, 15-8, in the quarterfinals but she finished in eighth place to earn second-team All-Conference honors.
Kelly Hurley finished ninth in the women’s epee championships for the Irish. Following pool play, she entered the direct elimination portion of the event seeded in a tie for second, which earned her a bye through the round of 128. She then met fellow Notre Dame teammate Stephanie Myers (El Paso, Texas) in the round of 64. After Hurley defeated Myers 15-4, she disposed of Michigan State’s Erin vonKronenberger, 15-12, in the round of 32. Hurley then lost 1-0 in sudden-death in the round of 16 to Ohio State’s Julia Tihonova. She finished in ninth place, which earned her honorable-mention All-Conference honors.
Vanessa Rosa (El Paso, Texas) and Myers also competed for the Irish. Rosa earned the 19th seed entering the direct elimination portion of the tournament. Following a first round bye, she beat Brittany Melton of Purdue, 15-3, in the round of 64. She then lost to Chicago’s Aisling Holt, 15-14, in the round of 32. She finished 20th overall. Myers was seeded 66th entering the direct elimination round. Following a 15-9 win over Chicago’s Krista Nicoletto in the round of 128, she lost to Kelly Hurley. She finished the tournament in 64th place.
Pool Play (record): Courtney Hurley (6-0) … Kelley Hurley (6-0) … Ewa Nelip (6-0) … Kimberlee Montoya (5-0) … Diane Zielinski (5-0) … Vanessa Rosa (4-2) … Stephanie Myers (0-6).
Women’s Foil (72) Reese led the way for the Irish foilists, finishing in second place to earn first-team All-Conference honors. Her lone loss on the day came in the final bout against Northwestern’s Nemecek, where she lost 15-12. Reese began direct elimination play seeded 11th, which earned her a first round bye. In the round of 64, she disposed of Xavier’s Kate Nelson, 15-0. She then beat Chicago’s Annie Considine, 15-3, to advance to the round of 16. In the round of 16, she downed sixth-seeded Camille Provencal-Dayle of Northwestern, 15-5. She then upset second-seeded Oksana Dmytruk of Ohio State, 10-9, in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, she defeated Northwestern’s Devynn Patterson, 15-2, to advance to the finals versus Nemecek.
Joining Reese in the final eight was Emilie Prot (Limoges, France). Prot entered the direct elimination portion of the tournament in a tie for the fourth-seed. Following a first round bye, she beat Rachel Plumb of Obelin, 15-1, in the round of 64. She then downed Lawrence’s Melanie Kathan, 15-2, to advance to the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals, she faced fellow Irish teammate Radmila Sarkisova (Grand Rapids, Mich), whom she defeated 15-10. Her day ended with a 15-11 loss to eventual champion Nemecek. Prot earned second-team All-Conference honors with a sixth place finish.
Also making the round of 16 for Notre Dame were Sarkisova and Darsie Malynn (Grapevine, Texas). Sarkisova entered the direct elimination round as the 13th seed, which earned her a first round bye. In the round of 64, she took on Purdue’s Kendra McPheeters, whom she knocked off 15-0. She then beat Phoebe Stierhoff of Case Western, 15-9, to advance to the round of 16, where she lost to Prot. She finished in 13th place.
Malynn earned the 14th seed entering the direct elimination round. Following a first round bye, she beat Purdue’s Ashley Gross, 15-7, in the round of 64. She then took on teammate Christina LaBarge (Pasadena, Calif) in the round of 32. After beating LaBarge 15-6, she lost to second-seeded Oksana Dmytruk of Ohio State, 10-9, in the round of 16. She finished the tournament in 14th place.
Also competing for the Irish were LaBarge and Katie Heinzen (Fairfax, Va.). LaBarge was seeded in a tie for 18th entering direct elimination. She earned a first round bye before beating Northwestern’s Kerry Bickford, 15-6, in the round of 64. She then lost to Malynn and finished the day tied for 18th. Heinzen finished in 25th place. She was seeded 26th entering the direct elimination round and downed Aislen Hardee of Michigan State, 15-4, in round of 64 before losing, 15-7, to seventh-seeded Holly McKibben of Ohio State in the round of 32.
Pool Play (record): Emilie Prot (6-0) … Hayley Reese (6-1) … Christina LaBarge (5-1) … Darsie Malynn (5-1) … Radmila Sarkisova (5-1) … Katie Heinzen (4-2).
Women’s Sabre (54) After pool play, Borrmann was seeded eighth, earning a bye until the round of 32, where she took down Samantha Kuykendahl of Indiana, 15-2. In the next round she defeated ninth-seeded Annelise Eeman of Northwestern, 15-13. Then Borrmann upset top-seeded Emily Cheng of Ohio State, 15-12, to advance to the semifinals. In the semis, she encountered Irish teammate Ashley Serrette (Orange, N.J.). Borrmann came out on top in the all-Irish showdown, 15-11, and went on to defeat Ohio State’s sixth-seeded Tschomakova, 15-8, in the final. Borrmann held a narrow 8-6 lead over Tschomakova at the break, but returned to rattle off six consecutive touches en route to the victory. With the win, Borrnmann also earned first-team MFC All-Conference honors.
Serrette began the direct elimination round as the fifth seed and had a bye until the round of 32, where she defeated Indiana’s Rebecca Swanney, 15-3. In the round of 16, she took down Ashley McLemore of Detroit, 15-6, before beating fellow Notre Dame teammate Beatriz Almeida (Chapaqua, N.Y.), 15-9, to advance to the semifinals. In the semis, Serrette lost to Borrmann. She finished in a tie for third place to earn first team All-Conference honors.
Following pool play, Almeida was seeded 13th, earning a first round matchup with Jenny Hamilton of Xavier. She beat Hamilton, 15-2, to advance to the round of 32. In the round of 32, she knocked off Samantha LaFrance of Detroit, 15-8. Then Almeida took on Irish teammate Eileen Hassett (Beaverton, Ore.) in the quarterfinals. Almeida beat Hassett,15-14, to advance to the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals, Almeida lost to Serrette. She finished eighth to earn second team All-Conference honors.
Hassett began the direct elimination round seeded fourth. She earned a bye until the round of 32, where she took down Meg Holt of Michigan State, 15-5. In the round of 16, she lost to Almeida, 15-14. Hassett finished ninth to earn honorable mention All-Conference accolades.
Pool Play (record): Eileen Hassett (6-0) … Ashley Serrette (5-0) … Beatriz Almeida (5-1) … Sarah Borrmann (5-1).
— ND —