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ND FENCING

THE ObSERvER | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2022 | NDSmCObSERvER.COm

MAGGIE KLAERS | The Observer

Senior Nick Itkin and Sophomore Amanda Pirkowski seek NCAA titles as Irish attempt to defend championship Irish look to manage expectations, pressure of home NCAA tournament

By JOSE SANCHEZ CORDOVA

Sports Writer

The Notre Dame women’s fencing team found themselves in an unusual situation at the ACC Championships in at Cameron Indoor Stadium about a month ago. During a title-deciding match against Duke, they were down 4-8 and staring down the barrel of a first ACC title loss since 2018. but they rallied, winning 14 of the final 15 bouts to clinch the title. Since that weekend, Notre Dame have been building momentum to the culmination of their season, this weekend’s NCAA Championships at home.

Pirkowski lauds preparation, resiliency as keys for Irish

“Fortunately, our best fencers are competing internationally, some of them Olympians or trying to make the national team for the world championship,” sabre coach Christian Rascioni said. “They are pretty used to managing stress [in those situations]. Of course, nothing is like NCAAs or ACCs, and they had a very good reaction. We had a very good reaction when we were down and it’s a good very good sign for us for NCAAs.”

Sophomore epeeist Amanda Pirkowski agreed with Rascioni. “I think we’ve all been in certain places where we’ve been down and it’s a battle to come back but we’re strong as a team and we are able to pull through. It was a little nerve-wracking, but I think that experience is only going to make us stronger coming into NCAAs. Saying no matter where we are, we can always come back, push through and take the titles.”

This confidence permeates throughout Notre Dame’s fencing program, the university’s most successful in the last few years. but with three national titles in the past four NCAA tournaments, the question is obvious: Can they keep it up and defend their titles at home?

Said sabre coach Christian Rascioni: “The expectation is very, very high. but at the same time, we’ve done everything we can. Great practices, great training. The team just works hard every day.”

Pirkowski also spoke about the preparation the team has undergone the past few weeks to keep improving and be at the highest level they can be for NCAAs. They stayed on campus during spring break, practicing six hours a day. Through high-intensity conditioning, bouting drills and a full NCAA tournament simulation with all the fencers, the team has been preparing both mentally and physically for the highpressure environment they will face this weekend.

Itkin leads the men’s program, looks for third title

“Our guys have been traveling internationally and nationally. Not all of us but a good amount,” said senior foilist Nick Itkin. Itkin is a two-time individual NCAA Champion and an Olympic bronze medalist in Tokyo. “And that kind of confidence is there. Other people can feel it as well. And our teammates are getting stronger for fencing all these highlevel fencers, and we’ve just grown so much, and I think our team is really, really strong this year.”

Itkin has been on the team since 2018. Then, he won the individual foil title as a freshman

By AIDAN THOMAS

Sports Editor

A women’s team with a 42-3 record this season. An undefeated men’s squad that sits at 38-0 in the 2021-22 season. Three national titles in four years.

The pedigree is there. And the expectations loom for the Notre Dame fencing squad as they enter the 2022 NCAA Championships this Thursday.

“The pressure is pretty high,” Irish sabre coach Christian Rascioni said. “The regular season was very good. The ACCs were really strong. On our homefield, and the expectation is really high.”

The Irish are hosting the fourday tournament on campus, starting at 9 am on Thursday. The women fence throughout the first two days and the men’s events encompass the final two days.

The Irish fencing team has long been among the school’s premier programs. They boast 11 national titles and are looking to repeat as champions for the fourth time in program history. With a historic program competing on their home strips comes expectations for the 12 Irish fencers who qualified for the coming weekend.

“They are proud to be part of this team and this program” Rascioni noted. “Of course, at the same time that we are proud, the goal is to make it better and better.”

The Irish set a tough bar to eclipse last year, winning four of six individual titles and earning runners-up finishes in the other two events. However, the victories came against a depleted field. Namely, no Ivy League school attended the national championships, meaning some of the nation’s top teams weren’t there to challenge the Irish. This year, the field is fully loaded, and several teams are eyeing up the chance to take down the defending champs.

Ivy League back, ready to make noise

“The teams with [the maximum] twelve qualifiers are the most dangerous. Columbia has a very competitive program and has won national championships,” Rascioni commented. “Princeton is very strong, especially on the women’s side. Harvard only has eleven fencers, but they are very good as well.”

Rascioni certainly pinpointed