2017-18 Fencing Roster

Francesca Russo 2016-17 Fencing Roster

Height 5'6''

Class Junior

Hometown Wayne, NJ

High School Wayne Valley

Bio

HONORS AND AWARDS:

AS A SENIOR:

AS A JUNIOR:

Captured second career NCAA Championship title in women’s sabre, defeating Teodora Kakhiani (Penn State) 15-14 in a thrilling title bout
Earned the top seed in the tournament, going 20-3 in pool play
Snared first career regional title with the crown at the NCAA Midwest Regional
Also earned first career conference title with a dominating performance at the ACC Championship
Went undefeated during pool play at ACCs and won easily over Diana Philpot (UNC, 15-3 semi) and Lindsay Sapienza (Duke, 15-7 final)
Went 37-16 during the dual season
Ended the season ranked sixth in career sabre wins (since 2000) with a 144-36 record
Named the team’s most valuable sabreuse
Also named ACC Women’s Fencer of the Year for Sabre
Earned a monogram

AS A SOPHOMORE:

Became a two-time All-American, taking Second Team honors with her sixth-place finish in women’s sabre at the NCAA Championships
Went 8-2 during pool play at the NCAA Midwest Regional to take runner-up honors
Placed fourth during individual play at the ACC Championships
Went a perfect 8-0 during team play at the ACC Championships to help the Irish capture their second straight conference title
Went 54-7 (.885) during dual play during the season, good for seventh place on the sabre single-season wins list and win percentage list in program history
Kicked off the season with a 12-1 mark at the Penn Elite Invitational
Went 4-0 on the first day of the DeCicco Duals
Posted a 19-2 record over two days at the Northwestern Duals, after which she was named the ACC Female Fencer of the Week
Wrapped the regular season with an 11-4 mark at the Duke Duals
Earned a monogram

AS A FRESHMAN:

Became the first sabreur since 2008 to win the NCAA women’s sabre title as a freshman, competing as one of five freshmen for the Irish at the NCAA Championship meet
Had the best individual record of any women’s sabreuse with 53-13 mark her first season
Helped the Irish capture the ACC Championship women’s team title, finishing fifth by touches scored in individual competition
Earned a 12-1 record at the Ohio State Elite Cup, 10-4 record at St. John’s, 11-1 mark at the NYU Invite and 12-6 log at the Northwestern Duals
Honored as ACC Women’s Fencer of the Week
At ACC Championships, women’s team won the first ever women’s team title
Individually, logged a matching 12-3 record with teammates Claudia Kulmacz and Jamie Norville in pool play, but did not advance to the semifinals
At NCAA Midwest Regional, finished second with a 10-2 record, automatically qualifying for NCAAs
At NCAA Championships, finished pool play with a 15-8 record, which earned her the No. 4 seed heading into the semifinals
Beat defending NCAA Champion Adrienne Jarocki of Harvard 15-12 and easily outscored Karen Chang of Penn State 15-6 to claim her first NCAA title with the Irish
Awarded first team All-American honors and received a monogram.

PREP AND PERSONAL:

Competed with fellow Irish teammate Paul Cepak at Bergen Fencing Club in addition to prep team
Won New Jersey state title all four years in women’s sabre
As a freshman, named to cadet and junior United States Fencing Association (USFA) teams
Took third at Cadet World Championships in Moscow, Russia in sophomore season .
As a junior won team event at Junior World Championships in Porec, Croatia
Competed as a senior with Junior world team at Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Placed in top 16 at Senior World Cup in Ghent, Belgium, and won Junior and Division I competitions at Summer Nationals
Biggest athletic thrill to date remains winning world championships with team in 2013
Graduated from Wayne Valley in June of 2014
Voted fencer of the year freshman through senior year on prep team
Middle child of Roberto and Caterina Russo
Has one younger brother, Gianluca, and an older sister, Jessica
Hails from Wayne, New Jersey
Enrolled in the Mendoza College of Business