DETROIT – The Fighting Irish fencing team turned in a big postseason performance on Saturday at the NCAA Midwest Regional hosted by Wayne State, placing 11 of 12 fencers on the podium, including five gold medalists on the day.
The women swept gold in all three weapons, as Amanda Pirkowski won epee, Josephina Conway finished first in foil and Jadeyn Williams finished first in sabre.
Notre Dame’s Michaela Joyce took bronze in the epee while teammate Sedna Gandhi finished ninth. Rebeca Candescu earned third in foil and Ryanne Leslie tied for seventh. In sabre, Notre Dame’s Atara Greenbaum had a notable day, placing second to earn silver in the event.
On the men’s side Luke Linder and Valentin Matveev brought home gold for Notre Dame. Linder continued his standout season by winning in sabre and Matveev claimed the top spot in epee.
Teammate Jonathan Hamilton-Meikle took silver in epee while Noah Silvers and Riley Robinson came in ninth and 13th, respectively. The Irish also placed two on the podium in men’s foil, as Marcello Olivares and Ziyuan Chen each finished in the top three with Olivares securing silver and Chen claiming bronze.
The Fighting Irish will compete for their fourth straight NCAA National Championship in Columbus, Ohio, beginning on Thursday, March 21. The four-day event will conclude on Sunday, March 24.