NOTRE DAME, Ind. — For the seventh-straight year, the University of Notre Dame fencing program will send the maximum allotted 12 fencers to the NCAA Championships. The Irish are one of just three programs that will compete with 12 participants on March 25-28 at the Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, Pennsylvania. The Irish are the only team to send 12 fencers to the NCAA Championships in each of the last seven seasons.
The Irish squad will have a mix of youth and experience next weekend at Penn State. Nine of the 12 selections will be making a repeat appearance at NCAA’s this season while three people got selected for the first time.
For women’s sabre, Kara Linder earned her third selection to the championships while Atara Greenbaum will be making her first appearance. Women’s foil will have two returners making their second NCAA appearances in Stefani Deschner and Amita Berthier. Rounding out the women’s squad will be Miriam Grady in her third selection while Kaylin Hsieh is making her first NCAA appearance.
On the men’s side, the same foil pairing will be going to nationals for the second year in a row with Marcello Olivares and Andrew Machovec. Two very experienced fencers will represent the Irish in men’s epee as Stephen Ewart will make his second trip to nationals while Ariel Simmons will be going for his fourth NCAA appearance. Rounding out the men’s field is Jared Smith for his second straight selection and Luke Linder making his first appearance.
The National Collegiate Men’s and Women’s Fencing Championships include individual events in each of the six weapons, and fencers will compete in a round-robin format of five-touch bouts. After the round-robin, the top-four finishers in each weapon will fence in semifinal 15-touch bouts, with the winners fencing to determine first and second places, and the non-advancing fencers being awarded a tie for third place.
Place finish in the championships will be based on points earned by each individual. A team will be awarded one point for each victory by its student-athletes for the duration of the championships.
The men will kick off the championship with round-robin bouts on Thursday March 25 followed by semifinals and finals on Friday March 26. The women will follow with the same schedule on Saturday March 26 and Sunday March 27.
2021 Selections
Miriam Grady, Women’s Epee
Kaylin Hsieh, Women’s Epee
Amita Berthier, Women’s Foil
Stefani Deschner, Women’s Foil
Kara Linder, Women’s Sabre
Atara Greenbaum, Women’s Sabre
Luke Linder, Men’s Sabre
Jared Smith, Men’s Sabre
Marcello Olivares, Men’s Foil
Andrew Machovec, Men’s Foil
Stephen Ewart, Men’s Epee
Ariel Simmons, Men’s Epee
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