March 9, 2013
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame women’s fencing team turned in a dominant performance Saturday at the Castellan Family Fencing Center in first-day action of the 2013 NCAA Midwest Regionals. With only the women fencing on day one, Irish fencers secured four top-three finishes including earning the top two spots in foil competition.
In a field featuring 20 foilists, Notre Dame’s Lee Kiefer and Madison Zeiss posted a combined record of 35-3 on the day to finish one-two, respectively. Kiefer, who finished 18-1 with a +65 indicator, suffered her lone setback of the day against Mona Shaito of Ohio State (5-3), while posting seven total 5-0 shutouts. Zeiss, meanwhile, finished 17-2 with a +46 indicator in earning her runner-up result. The sophomore’s only losses came at the hands of teammates, as she fell 5-0 to Kiefer and 5-1 to Grace Hartman.
Three other Irish foilists entered the foil pool, led by junior Adriana Camacho (13-6, +20 indicator) and her sixth-place finish. Freshman Nicole McKee concluded ninth with an 11-8 record and +21 indicator, while senior Grace Hartman finished 10th with an identical 11-8 record but a lower +12 indicator.
At the opposite end of the fencing center, Courtney Hurley (14-1, +37 indicator) placed ahead of Buckeye epeeist Caroline Piasecka to claim first in the women’s epee event. Irish teammates Ewa Nelip and Ashley Severson both posted records of 11-4, but Nelip placed fourth with a +27 indicator, while Severson finished fifth with a +22 indicator.
Junior Lian Osier paced the sabre squad, earning a runner-up finish for the Irish after concluding with a 13-2 record and a +38 indicator. Ohio State’s Celina Merza posted a near-perfect 14-1 (+42 indicator) record to claim the outright pool victory.
Freshman Johanna Thill grabbed fifth place with an 11-4 mark, edging out senior teammate Abigail Nichols (10-5, +18 indicator). Fellow senior Kathryn Palazzoto also concluded her Irish fencing career with a 7-8 mark.
The 2013 Midwest Regionals conclude Sunday with men’s competition in each of the three weapon classes. Tomorrow’s competition begins at 9 a.m., with Notre Dame looking to qualify the maximum number of fencers for the NCAA National Championships, taking place March 21-24 in San Antonio, Texas.
Women's Epee Results:1. Courtney Hurley Notre Dame2. Caroline Piasecka Ohio State3. Katarzyna Dabrowa Ohio State4. Ewa Nelip Notre Dame5. Ashley Severson Notre Dame6. Courtney Dumas Northwestern7. Kate Cavanaugh Northwestern8. Dina Bazarbayeva Northwestern9. Rebecca Rutan Ohio State10. Kendrick Mooney Northwestern
Women's Sabre Results:1. Celina Merza Ohio State2. Lian Osier Notre Dame3. Chloe Granger Northwestern4. Allison Miller Ohio State5. Johanna Thill Notre Dame6. Abigail Nichols Notre Dame7. Kaja Klodowska Wayne State8. Chelsea Martinez Ohio State9. Alicia Gurrieri Northwestern10. Kathryn Palazzoto Notre Dame
Women's Foil Results:1. Lee Kiefer Notre Dame2. Madison Zeiss Notre Dame3. Mona Shaito Ohio State4. Mai Shaito Ohio State5. Olivia Dobbs Wayne State6. Adriana Camacho Notre Dame7. Dayana Sarkisova Northwestern8. Jen Yamin Northwestern9. Nicole McKee Notre Dame10. Grace Hartman Notre Dame
–ND–