GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – Duke’s Eoin Gronningsater and Notre Dame’s Stefani Deschner have been tabbed the 2020 Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s and Women's Fencing Scholar-Athletes of the Year, respectively, and headline the sport’s 2020 All-ACC Academic Teams, which were announced by the league Thursday.
A senior from Brooklyn, New York, Gronningsater qualified for the NCAA Championships in foil for the fourth straight year. He owns a 3.81 career grade-point average while majoring in political science and was named to the All-ACC Academic Team for the fourth time. The two-time All-America honoree was one of 50 ACC student-athletes selected as 2020 Weaver-James-Corrigan Postgraduate Scholarship Award recipients. He finished his Duke career with a 182-38 (.827) record.
A junior from Versailles, Kentucky, Deschner was named to the All-ACC Academic Team for the second straight year. The pre-professional theology major owns a 3.916 career GPA. She finished the 2020 season with a 36-13 record and was named the ACC Fencer of the Year for foil. Deschner earned the top seed at the ACC Championships and won her first ACC title. She earned her first career berth to the NCAA Championship after receiving an at-large selection. At regionals, Deschner finished third after going 12-4 on the day.
Duke led all schools with four student-athletes on the men’s team, followed by Boston College with three, North Carolina with two and Notre Dame with one. On the women’s team, Notre Dame and Duke each had five student-athletes earn the recognition, followed by Boston College and North Carolina with two each. Gronningsater, North Carolina’s Jackie Litynski and Notre Dame’s Amanda Sirico each earned the honor for the fourth time in their careers.
The ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards were established in September of 2007 to be awarded annually to the top junior or senior student-athlete in their respective sports. Candidates for the awards must have maintained a 3.0 grade point average for their careers, as well as a 3.0 for each of the last two semesters.
Minimum academic requirements for selection to the All-ACC Academic Team are a 3.0 grade point average for the previous semester and a 3.0 cumulative average during one’s academic career. Athletic achievements during the most recent season are also considered in selecting the All-ACC Academic Team.
The ACC Honor Roll, which recognizes all conference student-athletes with a grade point average of 3.0 for the current academic year, will be released in July.
2020 All-ACC Academic Fencing Team
Men
Bin Huang, Boston College, Freshman, Foil, Finance
**Spencer Kuldell, Boston College, Sophomore, Sabre, Computer Science
**Bolang Meng, Boston College, Sophomore, Sabre, Economics
****Eoin Gronningsater, Duke, Senior, Foil, Political Science
***Brycen Rushing, Duke, Junior, Foil, Mechanical Engineering
**Jonathan Schwartzman, Duke, Senior, Foil, Biology and Philosophy
Agoston Walter, Duke, Senior, Sabre, Biomedical Engineering and Computer Science
James Mulligan, North Carolina, Sophomore, Foil, Environmental Sciences
**Beni Rabinowitz, North Carolina, Junior, Sabre, Information Science
**Alessandro Contreras, Notre Dame, Sophomore, Sabre, Finance
Women
**Gillian Lawlor, Boston College, Junior, Sabre, Elementary Education
Rylie Rueda, Boston College, Senior, Epee, Finance
**Huda Aldadah, Duke, Sophomore, Epee, Electrical and Computer Engineering
***Julia Gianneschi, Duke, Junior, Foil, Psychology
Alex Gorman, Duke, Sophomore, Sabre, Public Policy and International Comparative Studies
**Maria Papadopoulos, Duke, Junior, Epee, Environmental Sciences and Biology
**Zoe Superville, Duke, Foil, Sophomore, Computer Science
**Wei Chee Chen, North Carolina, Senior, Foil, Business Administration
****Jackie Litynski, North Carolina, Senior, Sabre, Environmental Sciences and Public Policy
**Stefani Deschner, Notre Dame, Junior, Foil, Pre-Professional Theology
**Natalie Disher, Notre Dame, Senior, Sabre, Psychology
**Miriam Grady, Notre Dame, Sophomore, Epee, Science-Business
Regina O’Brien, Notre Dame, Senior, Sabre, International Economics
****Amanda Sirico, Notre Dame, Graduate, Epee
Bold denotes ACC Fencing Scholar-Athletes of the Year
* denotes individual’s number of All-ACC Academic honors