Linder, Kara

Kara Linder is a fencing/saber athlete. She competed at University of Notre Dame after graduating from Chandler Online Academy/Hamilton High School.

HONORS AND AWARDS

• 2022 NCAA Championships, 5th place

• 2022 Second Team All-American

• 2022 ACC Championships, 7th place

• 2022 NCAA Midwest Regional, 5th place

• 2021 NCAA Champion, Women’s Sabre

• 2021 NCAA Team Champion

• 2021 First Team All-American

• 2020 ACC Fencer of the Year, Women’s Sabre

• 2020 ACC Champion, Women’s Sabre

• 2020 Midwest Regional Champion, Women’s Sabre

• 2020 First Team All-American

• 2020 Notre Dame Women’s Sabre MVP

• 2020 All-ACC

• 2019 NCAA Championships, Women’s Sabre, 8th Place

• 2019 Second Team All-American

• 2019 NCAA Midwest Regional Champion, Women’s Sabre

• 2019 ACC Champion, Women’s Sabre

• 2019 All-ACC 

• 2019 ACC Championships Most Valuable Fencer

• 2019 ACC Fencer of the Year, Women’s Sabre

• 2019 Notre Dame Women’s Sabre MVP

AS A GRADUATE

• Compiled a 29-9 season record to improve her career record to 168-54.

• Took fifth place at the 2023 NCAA Championships and earned second team All-American honors.

• Placed first at the NCAA Midwest Regional with a 17-0 record.

• Won the individual ACC Championship in the sabre competition and earned All-ACC honors.

• Earned ACC Fencer of the Year in women’s sabre.

• Was named to the All-ACC Academic team for women’s fencing.

AS A SENIOR at NOTRE DAME

• Finished the 2022 NCAA Championships in 5th place helping the team secure their 12th national title.

• Earned Second Team All-American honors.

• Placed 7th at the 2022 ACC Championship.

• Finished in 5th place at the NCAA Midwest Regional to qualify for nationals.

• Compiled a season record of 27-7, improving her career record to 138-44.

• Posted a 10-2 record at the St. Johns Invitational where the team took home first place.

• Named to the ACC All-Academic Team and to the ACC Academic Honor Roll.

AS A JUNIOR at NOTRE DAME

• Was dominant at the 2021 NCAA Championships en route to winning the Individual Women’s Sabre Championship

• She went 18-3 in pool play and defeated Sky Miller 15-4 in the title bout to claim Notre Dame’s first women’s sabre individual championship since 2017

• Linder helped the Irish claim their 11th team national championship in program history while earning her second career first team All-American honor

• Competed in all four regular season meets and finished with an 18-11 record

• Eclipsed the 100 career win plateau at the Ohio State Invitational

• Improved her career record to 111-38

AS A SOPHOMORE at NOTRE DAME

• Compiled a 52-19 record after competing in five of the six regular season meets

• Season best performance came at the DeCicco Duals when she finished the weekend with a 17-1 record

• Also reached the double-digit win plateau at the St. John’s Invite after going 10-5

• Defeated Duke’s Alex Gorman 15-9 to claim her second consecutive ACC Sabre Championship

• Went 5-1 during the team competition at the ACC Championships to help claim the team title for the Irish

• Tallied a 15-1 record to claim the women’s sabre championship at the Midwest Regionals in Detroit

• She earned her second straight berth to the NCAA Championship after her performance at Regionals

• Following the season, she was named ACC Fencer of the Year (Women’s Sabre) for the second straight year

• Was named Notre Dame Women’s Sabre MVP for the second straight season

• Improved her career record to 88-26

AS A FRESHMAN at NOTRE DAME

• Made an immediate impact as a rookie, garnering Second Team All-America honors.

• Placed eighth at the NCAA Championships, going 13-10 in round robin competition.

• Captured the NCAA Midwest Regional title in women’s sabre.

• Named the Most Valuable Fencer at the ACC Championships after capturing the ACC women’s sabre crown and helping the Irish to a team title.

• Named the ACC Fencer of the Year in women’s sabre.

• Went 36-7 in dual bouts as a rookie.

• Went 4-0 at both Philadelphia Invitational and ACC Championships.

• Went 7-1 at Northwestern Duals.

• Named the team’s MVP for women’s sabre.

• Earned a monogram.

HIGH SCHOOL & PERSONAL

• Graduated from Hamilton High School in May 2018

• Member of the Fencers Club of Arizona

• Currently the No. 11 ranked junior and No. 35 ranked senior in the country (as of Jan. 22, 2018)

• First World Cup win at 14 years old (Konin, Poland) Cadet division 2014

• First place 2014 North American Cup (under 14 division)

• Fifth place 2015 World Cup (Udine, Italy) junior division

• 10th place at 2015 Junior Pan American Championships

• First place 2015 World Cup (Konin, Poland) Cadet division

• First place 2015 World Cup (San Jose, Costa Rica)

• Third place 2015 World Cup (Sosnowiec, Poland)

• First place Division 1 Summer Nationals

• Eighth place 2016 Cadet World Championships (Bourges, France)

• Top 32 finish 2016 Junior World Championships (Bourges, France)

• First place 2016 Cadet Mixed Team World Championships (Bourges, France)

• Third place 2016 Junior Team World Championships (Bourges, France)

• First place 2016 Cadet Pan American Championships

• First place 2016 Cadet Mixed Team Pan-American Championships

• First place 2016 Junior Pan-American Championships

• First place 2016 Junior team Pan-American Championships

• Second place 2017 Junior Olympic Championships

• Second place 2016 World Cup (San Jose, Costa Rica)

• First place 2017 World Cup (Konin, Poland)

• Third place 2017 Junior Pan-American Championships

• Third place 2017 Cadet World Cup (Moedling, Austria)

• 2017 World Team member for Cadet, Junior, Cadet team, and Junior team

• Top 8 Finish 2017 Summer Nationals (Salt Lake City, Utah)

• Top 8 Finish 2017 North American Cup (Virginia Beach, Virginia)

• National Honor Society member

• Vice President of Future Farmers of America chapter

• Daughter of Nina and Jason Linder

• Mother Nina was a swimmer at Evansville University

• Has a younger brother, Luke, who is also on the fencing team

• Earned a Bachelor’s degree in Science Business

• Seeking a Master’s in Business Administration