Mark Maloney on Kentucky sports

Lee Kiefer, a senior at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, is among 25 athletes named by USA Fencing to compete in the Senior World Championships, Oct. 8-16, at Catania, Italy.

Team USA, which swept all 12 gold medals two weeks ago in the Pan American Championships at Reno, Nev., will be competing in the largest qualifying event for the 2012 London Summer Olympic Games.

Kiefer and her World Championships teammates were selected based on USA Fencing senior point rankings at the end of the 2010-11 World Cup season in June. They will compete for Olympic qualification points in both individual and team events for women’s epee, men’s saber, and men’s and women’s foil. Men’s epee and women’s saber will not be contested as team events in London and, thus, the World competition in those disciplines will not count towards Olympic qualification.

Kiefer, at 17 a two-time Pan American champion in women’s foil, will be competing in her third Senior World Championships. She won the 2010 World Cadet championship.

Doris Willette, 23, from Lafayette, Calif., is the veteran of the women’s foil squad and will be competing in her fourth Worlds. Nzingha Prescod, the reigning World Junior champion from Brooklyn, N.Y., joins Kiefer as a three-time World Senior member. Nicole Ross of New York is on the team for the second time.

Team USA Women

Foil — Lee Kiefer (Lexington); Nzingha Prescod (Brooklyn, N.Y.); Nicole Ross (New York); Doris Willette (Lafayette, Calif.). Saber — Mariel Zagunis (Beaverton, Ore.); Ibtihaj Muhammad (Maplewood, N.J.); Dagmara Wozniak (Avenel, N.J.); Daria Schneider (New York). Epee — Lindsay Campbell (Brooklyn, N.Y.); Courtney Hurley (San Antonio); Kelley Hurley (San Antonio); Maya Lawrence (Teaneck, N.J.).

Team USA Men

Foil — Miles Chamley-Watson (Philadelphia); Alexander Massialas (San Francisco); Gerek Meinhardt (San Francisco); Race Imboden (Brooklyn, N.Y.). Saber — Daryl Homer (New York); Ben Igoe (Staten Island, N.Y.); Tim Morehouse (New York); James Williams (New York). Epee — Ben Bratton (New York); Seth Kelsey (Colorado Springs, Colo.); Cody Mattern (Colorado Springs, Colo.); Soren Thompson (New York).

Valerie Brown

Former Western Kentucky University standout Valerie Brown is among 18 individuals awarded grants by The William E. Simon Olympic Endowment for the Support of Athletes. Grants totaling $61,000 are aimed at helping athletes pursue dreams of representing the United States at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Brown, from Albany, Ga., holds WKU school records in the 200 meters (23.74) and 400 (52.74), set during her senior season of 2009, as well as being part of the Hilltoppers’ record-setting mile and 4-by-400 relays.

Established in 1998 with a $1 million gift from William Simon, the endowment provides funds to supplement training and competition expenses. Since the inception of the program, trustees have awarded $600,000 to 125 athletes.

The 2011 recipients (with current residence:
Keshia Baker, track & field (Olympic hopeful – Los Angeles
Grace Boutot, biathlon (Olympic hopeful – Fort Kent, Maine)
Valerie Brown, track & field (Olympic hopeful – Bowling Green)
Kelsie Chaudoin, rowing (Olympic hopeful – Princeton, N.J.)
Zena Cole, track & field (Paralympic hopeful – Oregon, Ohio)
Jayson Grant, taekwondo (Olympic hopeful – Worcester, Mass.)
Kelly Gunther, speedskating (Olympic hopeful – West Jordan, Utah)
Michael Hughes, swimming (Paralympic hopeful – Cary, N.C.)
Mikayla Magee, gymnastics (Olympic hopeful – League City, Texas)
Kristen Messer, track & field (Paralympic hopeful – Austin, Texas)
Jimmy Moody, fencing (Olympic hopeful – Colorado Springs, Colo.)
Ibtihaj Muhammad, fencing (Olympic hopeful – Maplewood, N.J.)
John Orozco, gymnastics (Olympic hopeful – Bronx, N.Y.)
Alexis Page, gymnastics (Olympic hopeful – Harlem, N.Y.)
Daniel Rizzieri, track & tield (Paralympic hopeful – Cohocton, N.Y.)
Ileana Rodriguez, swimming (Paralympic hopeful – Colorado Springs, Colo.)
Joseph Underwood, swimming (Paralympic hopeful – Phoenix)
Daphne Wright, track & field (Paralympic hopeful – Los Angeles)