2017 ND grad Lee Kiefer won a gold medal today in women's fencing, in the foil. It is her SECOND Olympic gold medal; she also won the gold in the foil at the 2021 Olympics in Japan.
Way to go Lee!
The ND fencing team has been a juggernaut for many years, winning 13 NCAA team championships and 41 individual championships. I know next to nothing about fencing, but I know that is pretty damn impressive. Here is a factoid from Wikipedia about the unmatched dominance of ND's fencing program:
"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."
I know Marcus Freeman likes to check in with other coaches; as he explained, you can learn something watching other coaches coach. Maybe the fencing team coach, Gia Kvaratskhelia, has some secret sauce that he can share with Marcus.
Way to go Lee!
The ND fencing team has been a juggernaut for many years, winning 13 NCAA team championships and 41 individual championships. I know next to nothing about fencing, but I know that is pretty damn impressive. Here is a factoid from Wikipedia about the unmatched dominance of ND's fencing program:
"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."
I know Marcus Freeman likes to check in with other coaches; as he explained, you can learn something watching other coaches coach. Maybe the fencing team coach, Gia Kvaratskhelia, has some secret sauce that he can share with Marcus.