Nov. 5, 2017
By Joanne Norell
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The reigning 2017 NCAA Champion Notre Dame fencing program picked up where it left off when the Irish opened the season on Sunday at the Elite Invitational at Ohio State. The Irish women swept the field to open the year 5-0, while the men assembled a 3-1 mark on the day.
The women’s team defeated Cornell (18-9), Ohio State (20-7), Air Force (22-5), North Carolina (18-9) and Princeton (20-7) on a virtually perfect day at French Field House. Junior epeeist Amanda Sirico was undefeated on the day, going 13-0, while freshman squadmate Dasha Yefremenko was 12-3, competing in all five matches. In sabre, defending champion Francesca Russo was 8-1 on the day, while junior Elyssa Kleiner posted the same mark in foil.
The men’s team opened the day with a seesaw match against Ohio State that ultimately went to the Buckeyes, who won four straight points after an 11-11 tie to win 15-12. The Irish went on to defeat Air Force (16-11), North Carolina (21-6), and Princeton (15-12) to wrap the day.
The Irish men were led by sophomore sabreur Arsenii Panteleev, who went 9-3 on the day. In foil junior Axel Kiefer and senior Hazem Khazbak were each 6-2 and freshman Nick Itkin was 6-3, and senior Nicholas Hanahan registered an 8-4 mark in epee.
Members of the Irish will be back in action Nov. 10-13 at the USA Fencing North American Cup in Kansas City, Missouri. The next collegiate competition for the Irish will take place Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018, at the St. John’s Invitational in Jamaica, New York.
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Elite Invitational
French Field House
Columbus, Ohio
November 5, 2016
Men
Ohio State 15, Notre Dame 12
Epee 2-7
Nicholas Hanahan 2-1
Dylan French 0-3
Stephen Ewart 0-3
Foil 7-2
Axel Kiefer 3-0
Nick Itkin 2-1
Hazem Khazbak 2-1
Sabre 3-6
Jonathan Fitzgerald 2-1
Arsenii Panteleev 1-2
Jonah Shainberg 0-3
Notre Dame 16, Air Force 11
Epee 6-3
Stephen Ewart 3-0
Nicholas Hanahan 2-1
Dylan French 1-1
Zachary Zeller 0-1
Foil 3-6
Michael Antipas 1-2
Bobby Wong 1-2
Joseph Marino 1-2
Sabre 7-2
Arsenii Panteleev 3-0
Colin Campbell 2-1
Jonah Shainberg 1-0
Ben Scholl 1-1
Notre Dame 21, North Carolina 6
Epee 6-3
Stephen Ewart 3-0
Nicholas Hanahan 2-1
Dylan French 1-0
Zachary Zeller 0-2
Foil 8-1
Hazem Khazbak 2-0
Axel Kiefer 2-0
Nick Itkin 2-0
Michael Antipas 1-0
Joseph Marino 1-0
Bobby Wong 0-1
Sabre 7-2
Jonah Shainberg 2-0
Arsenii Panteleev 2-1
Jonathan Fitzgerald 1-0
Colin Campbell 1-1
Ben Scholl 1-0
Notre Dame 15, Princeton 12
Epee 4-5
Nicholas Hanahan 2-1
Stephen Ewart 1-2
Dylan French 1-2
Foil 5-4
Hazem Khazbak 2-1
Nick Itkin 2-1
Axel Kiefer 1-2
Sabre 6-3
Arsenii Panteleev 3-0
Jonah Shainberg 2-1
Jonathan Fitzgerald 1-2
Women
Notre Dame 18, Cornell 9
Epee 6-3
Dasha Yefremenko 3-0
Amanda Sirico 2-0
Molly Hudson 1-1
Katherine Clarke 0-1
Marie-Anne Roche 0-1
Foil 4-5
Elyssa Kleiner 2-0
Finnula Mageras 1-1
Isabelle Elizondo 0-1
Samantha Viqueira 0-1
Erica Tsai 0-1
Stefani Deschner 0-2
Sabre 9-0
Claudia Kulmacz 3-0
Reghan Ward 2-0
Tara Hassett 2-0
Francesca Russo 1-0
Regina O’Brien 1-0
Notre Dame 20, Ohio State 7
Epee 7-2
Amanda Sirico 3-0
Dasha Yefremenko 2-1
Marie-Anne Roche 1-0
Molly Hudson 1-1
Foil 5-4
Elyssa Kleiner 2-1
Stefani Deschner 2-1
Erica Tsai 1-0
Samantha Viqueira 0-2
Sabre 8-1
Tara Hassett 3-0
Claudia Kulmacz 3-0
Francesca Russo 1-1
Reghan Ward 1-0
Notre Dame 22, Air Force 5
Epee 8-1
Dasha Yefremenko 3-0
Marie-Anne Roche 2-0
Amanda Sirico 2-0
Katherine Clarke 1-0
Molly Hudson 0-1
Foil 8-1
Erica Tsai 2-0
Isabelle Elizondo 2-0
Erin Dietsche 1-0
Stefani Deschner 1-0
Finnula Mageras 1-1
Sabre 6-3
Jamie Norville 2-0
Reghan Ward 2-1
Tara Hassett 1-0
Regina O’Brien 1-1
Claudia Kulmacz 0-1
Notre Dame 18, North Carolina 9
Epee 6-3
Amanda Sirico 3-0
Dasha Yefremenko 2-1
Marie-Anne Roche 1-0
Molly Hudson 0-2
Foil 7-2
Samantha Viqueira 1-1
Isabelle Elizondo 1-1
Finnula Mageras 1-0
Elyssa Kleiner 1-0
Erica Tsai 1-0
Erin Dietsche 0-1
Sabre 5-4
Francesca Russo 3-0
Claudia Kulmacz 1-0
Reghan Ward 1-1
Regina O’Brien 0-1
Tara Hassett 0-2
Notre Dame 20, Princeton 7
Epee 6-3
Amanda Sirico 3-0
Dasha Yefremenko 2-1
Molly Hudson 1-0
Marie-Anne Roche 0-2
Foil 7-2
Elyssa Kleiner 3-0
Samanthan Viqueira 2-0
Erin Dietsche 1-0
Stefani Deschner 1-2
Sabre 7-2
Francesca Russo 3-0
Tara Hassett 2-1
Claudia Kulmacz 2-1
–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, women’s tennis and fencing programs, in addition to 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.