Dec. 2, 2008
Tauber, GERMANY –
Freshman epeeist Courtney Hurley (San Antonio, TX/Earl Warren) took home a gold medal with her first place finish at a Junior World Cup event that concluded on November 29. It marks her second gold medal finish on the Junior World Cup circuit this fall, as she also finished in first at a Junior World Cup event in Montreal, Canada.
Hurley entered the Tauber competition as the ninth seed. In the quarterfinals she knocked off top-seeded Dominika Mosler of Poland, 15-10. In her semifinal bout, Hurley outdueled fellow American Dina Bazarbayena, 15-11. In the finals, Hurley proved victorious with a 15-11 defeat of Eugeniya Sergina of Russia.
A few days prior, Hurley finished in third place at a World Cup event in Helsinki, Finland. Hurley, the second seed at the event, fell in the semifinals to Margherita Guzzi of Italy, 15-12.
“Courtney Hurley is going to be ranked by the International Fencing Federation as a top world-class junior fencer in women’s epee after her medalist finishes in Montreal, Helsinki and Tauber,” said head coach Janusz Bednarski. “We are proud of her talent and current form, and also happy that all the world can see Notre Dame student-athletes on top in World Cup Series events, as it is good for the international reputation of our athletics program,” the seventh-year head coach added.
The Irish have had a strong fall season in Junior World Cup events as Notre Dame has five total top-five finishes in Junior World Cup events. In addition to Hurley’s three top-three finishes, Avery Zuck (Beaverton, Ore./Jesuit) placed fifth in men’s sabre at a Junior World Cup event in Dormagen, Germany on November 22 while Barron Nydam (Rancho Sante Fe, Calif./Sante Fe Christian) finished in second place at the Junior World Cup event in Montreal.
The 2008-09 men’s and women’s fencing teams will open their dual-match season on January 24 at the St. John’s Duals in Queens, N.Y.