ND Fencing Sweeps All Six ACC Individual Titles

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Fighting Irish dominated the individual portion of the ACC Championships on Saturday, sweeping all six titles for the second straight year. 

The Notre Dame men set the tone in the morning session, sweeping all three individual titles as Luke Linder (sabre), Noah Silvers (epee) and Dominic Joseph (foil) each claimed gold.

The Fighting Irish women followed in the afternoon by claiming all three individual titles. Atara Greenbaum (sabre), Sedna Gandhi (epee) and Josephina Conway (foil) took home the individual championships to complete the perfect day for the hosts.

All three men’s finals consisted of Irish vs. Irish matchups, as the team placed seven on the podium while claiming all the gold and silver medals.

Luke Linder won the ACC men’s sabre title for the second straight season, defending his title by defeating teammate Grant Dodrill in a highly contested final with a score of 15-13. The Irish have now won six of the last seven men’s individual sabre titles.

In epee the all Notre Dame final was Noah Silvers versus Jonathan Hamilton-Meikle. Silvers won in the final by a score of 15-4 to win the title. The championship is the first of the sophomore’s career and Notre Dame’s second straight in epee.

The Fighting Irish advanced three fencers to the semifinals in men’s foil, as Ethan Augustine, Mason Stanley and Dominic Joseph all qualified for the knockout rounds. Joseph edged Augustine in the semifinal by a score of 15-14 to face teammate Stanley in the final. The final was tight throughout, with Joseph once again pulling out a 15-14 decision to claim the title. Augustine went on to win the bronze medal matchup to give Notre Dame a podium sweep. The Irish have won nine of the last 10 men’s individual foil titles.

In women’s sabre Notre Dame’s Greenbaum won the title match of the day against UNC’s Sophia Kovacs. Greenbaum trailed 14-10 but fought off five championship points on the way to a thrilling 15-14 comeback win to clinch the gold. Notre Dame’s Jadeyn Williams also made the podium, winning the bronze medal bout. The Irish have now won seven of the last eight ACC women’s sabre titles.

Gandhi followed up with an impressive 15-8 win in the title bout over UNC’s Nicole Milewski to give Notre Dame its third consecutive women’s epee title. Teammate Michaela Joyce captured bronze in the event. The Irish have won nine of the 10 ACC women’s epee titles in the history of the ACC Championships.

Conway capped off the individual championship portion of the ACCs with the best performance of the day. The sophomore didn’t lose a single bout the entire afternoon, going a perfect 15-for-15 in pool play before winning 15-4 in the semifinals and 15-9 in the title bout to win the foil championship and complete the sweep. The title gives the Irish nine of the 10 women’s foil titles in ACC Championship history.

The ACC Championships wrap up on Sunday with the team championships. The men will compete for the team titles in the morning session beginning at 8 a.m. ET followed by the women’s team in the afternoon session.