UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The University of Notre Dame women’s fencing team was in action for their first time on Saturday Bryce Jordan Arena for the third day of the NCAA Championships. In the first three rounds of the robin robin portion, the Irish have been able to position themselves for three individual national championships while maintaining a lead in the team scoring category.
Women’s Foil
Amita Berthier won 12 of her 13 bouts on the first day of the women’s foil with the highest (+38) indicators score of the day and sits in second place heading into Sunday. Stefani Deschner stayed in contention for the finals with nine victories in 13 bouts and is in eighth place (+25). The pair started out with four losses in the first round, but then settled in to finish the day a combined 10-1.
Women’s Sabre
On the sabre strip, Kara Linder earned a victory in 12 of her 15 bouts (+26) and is in third place after the first three rounds. Atara Greenbaum won eight of her 15 bouts for 12th place. Linder started out the day 6-1 in the first round, then combined with Greenbaum for a strong finish to the day with a combined 7-1 record in the third round.
Women’s Epée
The Irish will have two of the top five epéeists for Sunday’s action, with Kaylin Hsieh taking 12 of 15 bouts (with a weapon-best +29) for second place while Miriam Grady won 11 of 15 (+17) to earn fifth place after three rounds. Both of the Irish competitors started out strong with 6-1 records in the first round, with Hsieh’s lone loss coming to her teammate.
Standings
National Collegiate Fencing Championships
March 25-28, 2021
Bryce Jordan Center | Penn State
University Park, Pa.
Women’s Competition (March 27-28)
Epee (Rounds 1-3)
2. Kaylin Hsieh, 12-3 (+29)
5. Miriam Grady, 11-4 (+17)
Foil (Rounds 1-3)
2. Amita Berthier, 12-1 (+38)
8. Stefani Deschner, 9-4 (+25)
Sabre (Rounds 1-3)
3. Kara Linder, 12-3 (+26)
12. Atara Greenbaum, 8-7 (-4)
Team Standings
1. Notre Dame 169
2. Penn State 158
3. NJIT 111
4. Duke 110
5. St. John’s 97
Up Next
The women will continue their round robin play with the fourth and fifth rounds Sunday morning starting at 9 a.m. ET. Following the conclusion of the round robin play, the top four fencers will advance to the semifinals and then the finals. The semifinals will begin at 1 p.m. with epee, followed by foil and sabre. Then the three weapons will have their final matches before the team trophy is announced.
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