The United States Fencing Coaches Association released the winners of its 2022-23 collegiate awards late last week and the University of Notre Dame fencing team was honored with five national accolades.
Head Coach Gia Kvaratskhelia, who led the Irish to their 13th National Championship overall this season, the fifth during his era (the five wins are all within the last seven years) and third consecutive title was named the National Collegiate Men’s Coach of the Year and shared the Women’s Coach of the Year honor with Princeton’s Zoltan Dudas.
🏆𝙉𝘼𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉𝘼𝙇 𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙈𝙋𝙄𝙊𝙉𝙎🏆
This title’s one for the record books — our school record 13th title in program history and the first team on campus to three-peat!#GoIrish pic.twitter.com/n2OAv2hVq8
— Notre Dame Fencing (@NDFencing) March 26, 2023
“This honor is truly a group accomplishment,” Kvaratskhelia said.
“I share it with my incredible colleagues Cedric Loiseau, Christian Rascioni and Rolando Tucker, as well as our fantastic student-athletes. It is a pleasure to work with them every day to help them achieve their goals on and off the fencing strip.”
Senior Marcello Olivares was named the Men’s Foil Athlete of the Year, junior Luke Linder the Men’s Sabre Athlete of the Year and Freshman Chase Emmer the Men’s Foil Newcomer of the Year.
Olivares finished third in the foil group at the NCAA Championship and boasted a 33-4 record in NCAA competition this season (13-0 at the NCAA Regional, 20-4 at the NCAA Championship). Olivares boasts a 130-36 all-time record with the Fighting Irish and won the 2021 National Title in foil.
Linder claimed his second NCAA individual title this season, following up on his 2021 sabre title. He ended the season with a 25-9 record and improved his career mark to 62-15 (.805).
Emmer surged to a third-place finish in foil at the NCAA, earning All-America honors and finishing his collegiate rookie campaign with a 17-6 record.