GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – Notre Dame earned five of the six ACC Fencer of the Year honors for the 2020 season, as the league’s annual awards were announced Thursday following a vote of the league’s head coaches. In addition, Fighting Irish head coach Gia Kvaratskhelia was named the ACC Men’s Coach of the Year while sharing ACC Women’s Coach of the Year laurels with first-year North Carolina head coach Matt Jednak.
On the men’s side, Notre Dame sophomore Andrew Machovec earned ACC Fencer of the Year honors for foil, while fellow Fighting Irish sophomore Alessandro Contreras earned the distinction for sabre. Duke freshman Bowen Wang claimed ACC Fencer of the Year honors for epee.
On the women’s side, Notre Dame swept the three Fencer of the Year honors, as sophomore Miriam Grady was selected for epee, junior Stefani Deschner for foil and sophomore Kara Linder for sabre. Linder won ACC Fencer of the Year laurels for the second straight season.
Wang went 43-24 (.642) during his rookie season while earning the silver medal at the ACC Championships. He owned the No. 2 Fencing Strength Factor (FSF) rating this season at epee.
Machovec went 22-5 (.814) in intercollegiate competition this season, while also spending part of his season with the USA National Team. He won the ACC Championship and went 14-1 in round-robin action. He was ranked eighth nationally in the foil FSF ratings.
Contreras was 22-7 (.758) in intercollegiate action. He won the ACC Sabre Championship and went 11-4 in round-robin play this season. He was ranked second nationally in the sabre FSF ratings.
Grady went 60-26 (.697), while also spending part of her season competing in international action. She won her second straight ACC Championship and was tabbed the Most Valuable Fencer at the ACC Championships, going 8-1 in the Championship’s dual meets.
Deschner went 41-14 (.745) in intercollegiate competition. She claimed the ACC Championship while going 5-1 in the Championship’s dual meets. She was 14-1 in round-robin action and finished with the No. 6 ranking in the nation in the foil FSF ratings.
Linder was 57-20 (.740) this season while winning her second straight ACC sabre crown. She was 13-2 in round-robin play and 5-1 in ACC Championship dual meets. Linder finished the season ranked eighth nationally in the sabre FSF ratings.
Notre Dame’s men’s and women’s teams each captured their second straight ACC championship this season as well as their fifth titles in the last six years.
This marked the fourth time Kvaratskhelia was voted the men’s coach of the year and also the fourth time he has claimed the women’s award. In his first season at the helm of his alma mater, Jednak led the Tar Heels’ women’s squad to a runner-up finish at the ACC Championships.
All six of the ACC Fencers of the Year also qualified for the NCAA Fencing Championships, which ultimately were canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In all, 25 ACC fencers qualified for the NCAA Championships (Notre Dame 12, Duke 7, Boston College 3, North Carolina 3). Notre Dame was one of just three teams nationally to qualify the maximum of 12 fencers to the NCAA Championships.
2020 ACC FENCERS OF THE YEAR
Men’s Epee: Bowen Wang, Duke
Men’s Foil: Andrew Machovec, Notre Dame
Men’s Sabre: Alessandro Contreras, Notre Dame
Women’s Epee: Miriam Grady, Notre Dame
Women’s Foil: Stefani Deschner, Notre Dame
Women’s Sabre: Kara Linder, Notre Dame
ACC Men’s Coach of the Year: Gia Kvaratskhelia, Notre Dame
ACC Women’s Co-Coaches of the Year: Matt Jednak, North Carolina; Gia Kvaratskhelia, Notre Dame