April 23, 2018
By Joanne Norell
RICHMOND, Va. – The University of Notre Dame fencing team was well-represented on the podium at this 2018 Division I National Championships, with three current or former Irish fencers claiming national titles and another four earning either silver or bronze at the Richmond (Virginia) Convention Center.
Freshman Nick Itkin added to his recent championship haul, winning his second straight Division I national championship in men’s foil just a week after claiming gold at the Junior World Championships in Verona, Italy. Last month, the rookie became the first Irish men’s foilist to win an NCAA men’s foil title since Gerek Meinhardt in 2014.
Also winning gold was junior Amanda Sirico in women’s epee, earning the title a month removed from her second straight First Team All-America citation at the NCAA Championships. Former NCAA Champion and four-time Olympian Mariel Zagunis also returned to national championship action after the birth of her daughter, Sunday, and earned the top spot on the women’s sabre podium.
Also earning podium spots were freshman Stephen Ewart, who claimed silver in men’s epee, and sophomore Ariel Simmons, who tied for third in the same category. Sophomore Morgan Partridge grabbed bronze in women’s foil and senior Jonah Shainberg was the third-place finisher in men’s sabre.
US Fencing Division I National Championships
April 20-23, 2018
Richmond, Va.
Richmond Convention Center
Division I Men’s Foil
1. Nick Itkin
26. Joseph Marino
Division I Women’s Foil
3T. Morgan Partridge
9. Madison Zeiss (’15)
10. Stefani Deschner
15. Elyssa Kleiner
19. Samantha Viqueira
29. Isabelle Elizondo
32. Erin Dietsche (’17)
Division I Men’s Sabre
3T. Jonah Shainberg
41. Colin Campbell
52. Ben Scholl
Division I Women’s Sabre
1. Mariel Zagunis
9. Francesca Russo
15. Reghan Ward
20. Regina O’Brien
26. Kara Linder
Division I Women’s Epee
1. Amanda Sirico
20. Miriam Grady
21. Dasha Yefremenko
33. Margherita Guzzi Vincenzi (VA)
Division I Men’s Epee
2. Stephen Ewart
3T. Ariel Simmons
81. Nicholas Hanahan
Division II Women’s Foil
45. Sarah Followill (’16)
— ND —
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 and fencing programs, in addition to assisting with football communications and 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.