Nov. 24, 2008
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Head coach Janusz Bednarski announced that women’s freshman epeeist Courtney Hurley (San Antonio, TX/Earl Warren) and sophomore men’s sabreist Barron Nydam (Rancho Santa Fe, CA/Santa Fe Christian) have been named the October Fencers of the Month for the Notre Dame fencing program. The Notre Dame Fencer of the Month award winners are selected by the coaching staff throughout the season, beginning with the month of October.
Hurley finished in first place at the Junior World Cup in women’s epee. She entered the direct elimination tournament as the top seed as she recorded six wins in six pool bouts. In the elimination draw, Hurley defeated Nina Westman of Sweden, the third seed, in the final by a score of 15-8 to earn the gold medal. In her five elimination bouts, Hurley out-touched her opponents by a 75-29 margin.
“Courtney’s win [at the Junior World Cup event] shows the world that she wants to be the best in the junior U-20 age category, and she made a great first step in doing so with her performance in Montreal,” said Bednarski. He added, “It is also good for the Notre Dame fencing program because we will need to have experienced wins like that when we face tough competition such as Ohio State and Penn State as the season progresses.”
Nydam also earned the honor based on his second place finish at the Junior World Cup event held in Montreal, Canada in late October. Nydam’s silver medalist finish came after defeating Marty Williams of the USA, 15-13 in the semifinals. He then faced Vincent Couturier in the final bout, falling 15-12 to the Canadian. Nydam now stands in third in the USFA men’s junior point standings, one spot behind his Irish teammate Avery Zuck.
“Barron once again showed his talent and skills by winning the silver medal in Montreal. The performance should give him confidence for a successful season in NCAA competition this year,” commented Bednarski. “Barron is a great talent, who fights through injuries and internal pressure to be the best athlete on the team,” added the seventh-year head coach.
The 2008-09 men’s and women’s fencing teams will open their dual-match season on January 24 at the St. John’s Duals in Queens, N.Y.
— ND —