New coach, same elusive goal — a national championship
By MATT LOZAR
Sports Editor
When the national team rankings came out, first-year head coach Janusz Bednarski was a little surprised.
"We have a good image so maybe they gave us a little bit of credit and we are going to try to accomplish what they expect from Notre Dame," Bednarski said of the team's No. 2 ranking. "We have to be patient. This team is unpredictable, but they can win."
Bednarski replaced retired Yves Auriol in May and looks to accomplish something Auriol never could — win a national title.
Returning 10 of the 12 fencers who participated in the 2002 NCAA Championships, Bednarski looks to use that experience and leadership to capture the team's first national championship since 1994.
One of the main challenges of a fencing coach is getting the team to act like that — as a team. Fencers become accustomed to being on their own out on the strip and Bednarski knows creating a team-first attitude is necessary to compete for the national title.
"Fencing is an individual sport even when you bout as a team, you are off on your own against your opponent. There is something when you are bouting for yourself and for a team," Bednarski said. "When you bout for a team, you show your real personality as a member of the group. Then you can fence better and accomplish better results then fencing on your own.
"It is really interesting to see people change when bouting for a group."
While most of the team returns, the Irish suffered huge losses at sabre with captains and All-Americans Andre Crompton and Carianne McCullough graduating. Rather than having untested freshmen fill the voids, two former All-Americans have returned to the program.
Natalia Mazur missed the 2002 season due to an illness. As a freshman, Mazur reached All-American status with a 10th-place finish at the NCAA Championships. Junior Destanie Milo needs to overcome past disappointments in the last two national championship meets to become an All-American in her third attempt.
On the mens side, Gabor Szelle returns to the Irish as one of the most accomplished fencers in Notre Dame history. Szelle's .940 winning percentage ranks third among all weapons. Szelle was an All-American as a freshman and national champion as a sophomore. Szelle combines with senior and 2002 NCAA Championship participant Matt Fabricant to claim the top two sabre positions.
At foil, the Irish have three All-Americans who will compete for the two spots on the NCAA Championships team. Senior captain Ozren Debic aims to join Jan Viviani as a four-time All American. Debic ranks first in foil and fifth overall with a .942 winning percentage. Sophomore Derek Snyder recovered from an in-season illness to earn All-American honors at the NCAA Championships. Senior Forest Walton returns to the team after spending last season abroad to give the Irish three All-American foilists.
The sophomore duo of Alicja Kryczalo and Andrea Ament can do no better this season after combining for a 45-1 record at the NCAA Champions — the only loss was Ament's to Kryczalo, who won the individual title by defeating Ament for a second time.
Epee captain Viviani looks to become the first four-time All-American in Notre Dame epee history. Viviani has the best winning percentage (.894) of any mens epeeist in school history. Sophomore Michal Sobieraj compiled a 26-1 regular season record, but finished a disappointing 10th at the NCAA Championships.
National champion Kerry Walton currently stands fourth in the U.S. senior epee rankings and looks to repeat in her second season of collegiate fencing. Captain Anna Carnick can become another four-time All-American for the Irish. The senior from Mishawaka, Ind. is currently fourth in school history with a .795 career winning percentage.
This weekend, the Irish start their season at the Ohio State duals with their toughest competition coming from the fourth-ranked Buckeyes. Next weekend, top-ranked and defending national champion Penn State face the Irish at the Notre Dame duals.
Contact Matt Lozar at mlozar@nd.edu
All Sports Stories for Thursday, January 23, 2003
