March 24, 2016

Photo Gallery
NCAA Fencing Day 1
NCAA Fencing Day 1 Individual

By Joanne Norell

WALTHAM, Mass. – After three rounds of women’s competition to kick off the NCAA Fencing Championships Thursday, the University of Notre Dame fencing team sits in second place with three days of fencing remaining at the Gosman Sports and Recreation Center at Brandeis University.

In women’s foil, freshman Sabrina Massialas finished the day in third place, posting a 13-2 record with each win coming by two or more touches. Senior teammate Nicole McKee ranked 13th of the 24 foilists in the field, with an 8-7 record on Day 1.

Senior Catherine Lee used a strong third round to move into fourth place in women’s epee, going 4-0 in the day’s final round to improve to 10-5 on the day. Freshman Madeline Antekeier resides in 16th place with a 7-8 record after three rounds.

The Irish rounded out the day in sabre. Freshman Tara Hassett finished the day tied for eighth with a 9-6 record, while sophomore Francesca Russo is currently in 13th place with a 7-8 mark.

The women will complete competition Friday with the final two round-robin rounds starting at 9 a.m., followed by the semifinals and championships beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET. The men will fence Saturday and Sunday following an identical format.

The semifinal and championship bouts for each weapon will air without commentary on ESPN3 or the WatchESPN App. The semi-finals and finals, along with other championships highlights, will air on ESPNU at 2:30 p.m. ET on April 6. For more information about the championships, log onto NCAA.com.

NCAA Fencing Championships
March 24-27, 2016
Hosted by Brandeis University
Waltham, Massachusetts
Women’s Results
Thursday
Foil
3. Sabrina Massialas 13-2
13. Nicole McKee 8-7
Epee
4. Catherine Lee 10-5
16. Madeline Antekeier 7-8
Sabre
T-8. Tara Hassett 9-6
13. Francesca Russo 7-8
Team Standings
1. Columbia/Barnard 64
2. Notre Dame* 54
3. Princeton 53
4. Ohio State 50

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To keep up with Irish fencing, visit UND.com/NDFencing, follow @NDFencing on Twitter and like Notre Dame Fencing on Facebook.

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Joanne Norell, athletics communications assistant 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 women’s soccer, men’s tennis, women’s tennis and fencing programs. Norell is a 2011 graduate of Purdue University and earned her master’s degree from Georgetown University in 2013.