Sept. 6, 2017
By Joanne Norell
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – University of Notre Dame freshman men’s foilist Nick Itkin is the latest Irish fencer to ascend to the top spot in the world rankings, and will be recognized by the International Fencing Federation (FIE) later this fall at the Congress Gala Dinner in Dubai.
Itkin, who joined the Irish program when classes began in August, will be awarded the a medal from the FIE for the title of winner of the FIE Official Ranking 2017 in junior men’s foil. He will be honored at the gala dinner on November 25 at the Armani Hotel in Dubai.
In addition to holding the No. 1 spot in the junior world rankings, the Los Angeles product comes in at No. 6 in the senior U.S. rankings and No. 72 in the senior world rankings. Earlier this year, he helped the U.S. junior men’s foil squad to a gold medal at the Junior Pan American Championships while claiming an individual silver. He was also a member of the 2017 U.S. junior World Cup team that placed second in Aix-en-Provence, France, while also snaring the individual silver medal at that event.
Earlier this year, 2017 graduate Lee Kiefer became the first American woman to earn the No. 1 world ranking in senior women’s foil. She is currently ranked second.
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Joanne Norell, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since 2014 and coordinates communications efforts for the Notre Dame men’s tennis, women’s tennis and fencing programs, in addition to overseeing production of the football Gameday Magazine. Norell is a 2011 graduate of Purdue University and earned her master’s degree from Georgetown University in 2013.