GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – Reigning national champion Notre Dame won all eight of the Atlantic Coast Conference’s 2023 Fencing Awards, which were announced Wednesday following a vote of the league’s head coaches. Fighting Irish head coach Gia Kvaratskhelia was named the ACC Men’s and Women’s Coach of the Year after leading Notre Dame to its third straight national championship.
On the women’s side, Notre Dame’s Eszter Muhari (epee), Amita Berthier (foil) and Kara Linder (sabre) earned the league’s Fencer of the Year awards. Maruan Osman-Touson (epee), Marcello Olivares (foil) and Luke Linder (sabre) won the men’s Fencer of the Year honors.
Muhari won the national championship in women’s epee and went 19-3 during the round-robin portion of the NCAA Championships. She was 19-2 (.904) in intercollegiate competition during the regular season. Muhari won the bronze medal at the ACC Championships, going 11-2 during the round-robin competition. She finished No. 2 nationally in the Season Performance Index.
Berthier repeated as the ACC Fencer of the Year in women’s foil. She was the bronze medalist in women’s foil at the 2023 NCAA Championships, going 20-3 during the round-robin of the tournament. Berthier went 20-3 (.870) in intercollegiate competition during the regular season. She finished No. 3 in the nation in SPI.
Kara Linder earned ACC Fencer of the Year honors for women’s sabre for the third time (2019, 2020). She was the ACC champion and earned a fifth-place finish at the 2023 NCAA Championships. She went 16-7 in round-robin action at NCAAs. Linder was 29-9 (.763) in intercollegiate competition during the regular season and went 13-2 in round-robin action at the ACC Championships. She was ranked seventh nationally in SPI.
Osman-Touson was the ACC champion in men’s epee and was a Second-Team All-American after placing eighth at the NCAA Championships. He went 31-9 (.775) in intercollegiate competition during the regular season and finished as the eighth-ranked fencer in SPI.
Olivares was the NCAA bronze medalist in men’s foil and racked up a 20-3 record in round-robin action at the NCAA Championships. He posted a 26-10 (.722) mark in intercollegiate competition and was ranked No. 7 nationally in SPI.
Luke Linder joined his sister, Kara, as an ACC Fencer of the Year. He was the NCAA national champion in men’s sabre and also captured the ACC championship in the event. Linder was 25-9 (.735) in intercollegiate competition during the regular season and then was 12-3 in round-robin competition at the ACC Championships and 19-2 in the NCAA round robin. He was No. 8 nationally in the final SPI.
Kvaratskhelia was voted the ACC Men’s Coach of the Year and ACC Women’s Coach of the Year for the sixth time for both genders. Notre Dame captured its 13th national championship in program history this season, including the third straight and fifth total under Kvaratskhelia (2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023). The Fighting Irish’s men’s and women’s teams each captured the ACC championship this season, with each earning their seventh title in the last nine years.
2023 ACC Fencers of the Year
Men's Epee: Maruan Osman-Touson, Notre Dame
Men's Foil: Marcello Olivares, Notre Dame
Men's Sabre: Luke Linder, Notre Dame
Women's Epee: Eszter Muhari, Notre Dame
Women's Foil: Amita Berthier, Notre Dame
Women's Sabre: Kara Linder, Notre Dame
Men’s Coach of the Year: Gia Kvaratskhelia, Notre Dame
Women’s Coach of the Year: Gia Kvaratskhelia, Notre Dame