Nov. 9, 2001
Members of the Notre Dame fencing program will compete as individual entrants at this weekend’s annual Penn State Open, with many of the nation’s top fencers converging on the PSU campus for the Nov. 10-11 event. Most of the Notre Dame regulars are expected to compete, with the exception of sophomore women’s epeeist Kerry Walton (who will be competing in Dallas at a World junior event).
Nine Notre Dame fencers also recently competed at the Northwestern Open (Oct. 27-28) while junior foil captain Ozren Debic turned in a respectable 24th-place finish at the World Championships in Nimes, France, as a member of the Croation national team.
Several Irish fencers return to the Penn State Open after impressive performances at that event in 2000, including a runner-up showing for Debic, senior sabre captain Andre Crompton’s fourth-place finish and sophomore Destanie Milo’s fifth-place showing in women’s sabre. Current junior Liza Boutsikaris also placed fifth at the 2000 Penn State Open while two-time
All-American Jan Viviani placed sixth in the men’s epee competition.
Other Notre Dame returners from the 2000 Penn State Open include senior foilist Steve Mautone (7th), junior sabre Matt Fabricant (7th), sophomore women’s sabre Jessie Filkins (11th), senior epeeist Brian Casas (17th), fifth-year sabre captain Carianne McCullough (18th) and junior epee captain Anna Carnick (19th).
Sophomore sabre Maggie Jordan placed 15th in the 2000 Penn State Open foil competition, with other Irish returning competitors including senior foilist Jeremy Beau (27th), sophomore foilist Matt Castellan (33rd), senior foilist Michelle Sutton (34th) and junior epeeist Meagan Call (51st).
Crompton placed second in a competitive 70-fencer field at the recent Northwestern Open while fifth-year men’s sabre Andrzej Bednarski was third, with Midwest rival Colin Parker of Ohio State finishing first.
Freshman Michal Sobieraj had an impressive collegiate debut at Northwestern, winning the 100-fencer men’s epee competition while also competing in foil. Another ND freshman, women’s foilist Alicja Kryczalo, placed 11th in a 50-fencer epee field but did not compete in foil due to illness.
Other Notre Dame competitors at the Northwestern Open included Milo (5th), Beau (12th) and McCullough (17th), with junior Adam Harvey also competing in epee while freshman Brian Dosal fenced in sabre.
Two former Notre Dame fencers joined Debic as the World Championship competitors with ND connections. Nicole Mustilli (’99) placed 21st in the women’s sabre individual competition while helping the U.S. women finish fifth in the team competition. Another former Irish four-time All-American, Magda Krol (’00), competed at the World Championships as a member of Canada’s women’s foil team.