Dec. 14, 2010
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Race Imboden, Ashley Severson and Nik-Nik Ameli have each signed a National Letter of Intent to attend the University of Notre Dame in the fall of 2011, Irish fencing head coach Janusz Bednarski recently announced. Imboden will join the men’s foil squad, while Severson and Ameli will add depth to the women’s epee team.
Imboden (Brooklyn, N.Y.) joins the Irish out of The Dwight School in New York, N.Y. While there, Jed Dupree coached him in the fencing club Empire United. Currently Imboden ranks second in the USFA point standings in both the cadet and junior divisions, while sitting 12th in the senior division point standings.
On the national level, Imboden has won gold on three occasions and helped his team to gold on two other occasions, serving as captain of both squads – 2010 Junior Olympic Championships and 2010 National Championships. Internationally, he won the bronze medal at the 2010 Cadet World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, and most recently he won the gold medal at the 2010 Eden Cup in London, England.
A native of Franklin Lakes, N.J., Severson joins the Irish as a very accomplished women’s epeeist. While attending Ramapo High School she trained and competed as a member of the New York Athletic Club. She currently ranks first in junior points and seventh in senior points.
Most recently, Severson was named a member of the 2010 Cadet and Junior World Team, finishing 20th in the cadet world championships and helping the women’s epee team to the silver medal. She also recently won gold at the 2010 Cadet Junior Olympics and earned a fifth-place result at the Junior World Cup in Burgos, Spain.
A three-sport athlete out of Palo Verde High School, Ameli (Las Vegas, Nev.) joins the Irish after training for four years under the tutelage of former Notre Dame fencing coach Yves Auriol. Over her high school career she earned the regional championship four times and captured the state title in both her freshman and sophomore years.
Along with fencing for her high school, Ameli competed in international tournaments in the cadet division in Canada, Sweden, Germany and France and also was named a USFA Academic All-American first team selection.
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