Notre Dame Fighting Irish fencing represents the
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...
in
collegiate fencing
Collegiate fencing has existed for a long time. Some of the earliest programs in the US came from the Ivy League schools, but now there are over 100 fencing programs in the US. Both clubs and varsity teams participate in the sport, however only t ...
. The Irish compete in the
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Associa ...
of NCAA Division I.
National championships
*Men: 1977, 1978, 1986
*Women: 1987
*Co-ed: 1994, 2003, 2005, 2011, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023
Individual championships
*Women's Foil
**Molly Sullivan (1986), Molly Sullivan (1988), Heidi Piper (1991), Alicja Kryczalo (2002), Alicja Kryczalo (2003), Alicja Kryczalo (2004),
Lee Kiefer
Lee Kiefer (born June 15, 1994) is an American right-handed foil fencer.
Kiefer is a four-time NCAA champion, ten-time team Pan American champion, nine-time individual Pan American champion, and 2018 team world champion.
A three-time Olympia ...
(2013), Lee Kiefer (2014), Lee Kiefer (2015), Lee Kiefer (2017), Stefani Deschner (2021)
*Women's Épée
**Magda Krol (1997), Kerry Walton (2002), Kelly Hurley (2008), Courtney Hurley (2011), Courtney Hurley (2013), Eszter Muhari (2023)
*Women's Sabre
**Valerie Providenza (2004),
Mariel Zagunis
Mariel Leigh Zagunis (born March 3, 1985) is an American sabre fencer. She is a two-time Olympic champion in the individual sabre ( 2004 and 2008) and the first American to win a gold medal in Olympic fencing. She was Team USA flag bearer in t ...
(2006), Sarah Borrmann (2008),
Francesca Russo
Francesca Russo (born November 27, 1995) is an American fencer. She qualified to represent Team USA at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, competing as part of the Women's Sabre team.
Raised in Wayne, New Jersey, Russo attended Wayne Valley High Sc ...
(2015), Francesca Russo (2017), Kara Linder (2021)
*Men's Foil
**Pat Gerard (1977), Andrew Bonk (1979), Charles Higgs-Coulthard (1984),
Gerek Meinhardt (2010), Ariel DeSmet (2011), Gerek Meinhardt (2014),
Nick Itkin
Nick Itkin (born October 9, 1999) is an American right-handed foil fencer, two-time NCAA champion, 2022 team Pan American champion, and 2021 team Olympic bronze medalist. He won a bronze medal in individual men's foil at the 2022 senior Worl ...
(2018), Nick Itkin (2019), Marcello Olivares (2021)
*Men's Épée
** Björne Väggö (1978), Ola Harstrom (1983), Jubba Beshin (1990), Michal Sobieraj (2005),
*Men's Sabre
**Mike Sullivan (1977), Mike Sullivan (1978), Luke LaValle (1998), Gabor Szelle (2000), Luke Linder (2021)
Year-by-year results
Coaches
Gia Kvaratskhelia (2014-present)
Janusz Bednarski (2003-2014)
Yves Auriol (1996-2002, Men's; 1986-2002, Women's)
Michael De Cicco (1962-1995)
Walter Langford (1940-1943, 1951-1961)
The Winning Streak
From 1975 to 1980, the Irish won 122 straight regular season matches, surpassing John Wooden's 88 consecutive basketball wins to set the NCAA varsity sports winning streak record, a record not broken for over a decade. (Interestingly, UCLA lost to Austin Carr's Notre Dame team in 1971, then went undefeated until Adrian Dantley's Notre Dame team in 1974). The Irish won their first national championship in 1977 and again in 1978; Mike DeCicco led them to NCAA championships again in 1986, 1987, and 1994. The Irish now hold 13 national championships, including three consecutive championships in 2021, 2022, and 2023.
Castellan Family Fencing Center
The Irish practice at the Castellan Family Fencing Center, which opened in 2012 as part of the Joyce Center. It features locker rooms for men and women, coaches' offices, a lounge area, a repair room, and a conference room.
References
{{reflist
http://www.und.com/sports/c-fenc/archive/nd-c-fenc-archive.html
https://www.ncaa.com/history/fencing/nc
https://und.com/news/2018/3/25/Notre_Dame_Clinches_Tenth_National_Fencing_Title.aspx
https://und.com/fencing-wins-11th-national-championship-in-program-history/