Steve Kubik Class: Freshman Hometown: San Antonio, TX High School: Reagan Height / Weight: 6-3 / 185 Event: Foiil Birthdate: 10/02/1989 Clubs: San Antonio Sports Foundation/Kanza Fencing Center (Salina, KS)

Resilient newcomer to men's foil squad whose battling style should mesh well with the NCAA five-touch bout format ... boasts extremely quick hands and reflexes ... a clever tactician on the strip who makes effective use of in-bout calculations, allowing him to properly judge distance and complete proper actions for the situation ... has exciting combination of speed, size (6-foot-3), strength and an aggressive approach to his offense ... makes up for seemingly average technique with a spirited mentality that allows him to rally the team while overcoming steep obstacles ... looking to improve his footwork during first season with the Irish ... joins his All-America brother Mark Kubik (currently an ND junior) to form the latest Notre Dame fencing family duo ... looking to capitalize on his past fencing experience with his brother, assistant coach Gia Kvaratskhelia (his former club coach at the Kanza Fencing Club in Salina, Kansas) and Kanza teammate Teddy Hodges (a sophomore transfer on the current Irish team) ... his father Wendell Kubik competed and coached at Air Force while his youngest brother Nick also is a top foilist ... his extroverted nature and free spirit stands in stark contrast to his more serious and understated brother Mark ... joined top ranks as 2006 U.S. Junior Olympic finalist (6th) while holding national rank of 14th in cadet/U-17 men's foil ... was listed 30th in USFA rankings for all men's foilists and 18th among junior level (U-20), as of Nov. 15, 2007 ... joined his brother Mark as part of three-fencer Kanza foil team that finished fifth of 33 teams at 2007 Summer Nationals in Miami (that same Kanza team won the bronze in 2006) ... placed 17th individually in U-20 field at '06 Summer Nationals (20th among all men's foilists) ... placed 14th at the annual Penn State Open (fall of 2007), after losing a 13-15 bout to Ohio State's Andras Horanyi (the 2007 NCAA champ).

PREP & PERSONAL: Started fencing at age five, when his family lived in southern Germany for three years at the Fechter Ring of Albstadt-Ebingen ... played youth soccer in Schwenningen-Baden ... continued to compete in soccer, baseball and fencing after moving to San Antonio before specializing in fencing in middle school ... coached by his father Wendall Kubik while training with Palo Alto Fencers club (part of San Antonio Sports Foundation's Community Olympic Development Program) ... that club became Dreams for Youth Fencing Center in 2002 ... SASF is supported by the USOC and provides opportunities in Olympic sports to youth in economically disadvantaged communities ... participated at SASF's "Inner City Games," sponsored by Arnold Schwarzenegger ... now trains with Andrei Samorodov at Alamo Fencing Academy ... attended summer fencing camps at Kanza Fencing Club in Salina, Kansas ('04-'07), coached by current ND assistant Kvaratskhelia ... worked with former members of Soviet junior national team such as Kvaratskhelia, Soviet champion Slava Grigoriev, and Samorodov ... graduated from Ronald Reagan High School ... top results in 2006-07 included: 7th at Jr. World Cup in Madrid, Spain (Nov. '06); 23rd in overall men's foil field at North American Cup (N.A.C.) in Richmond, Va. (Dec. '06); and 91st at Jr. World Cup in Bratislava (Oct. '06) ... his '05-'06 season (ranked #14 among U.S. U-17s) included: 6th in U-20 men's foil and 14th among U-17s at 2006 Jr. Olympics in Hartford, Conn.; 73rd at U-17 World Cup in Koblenz, Germany; 141st at Jr. World Cup in Budapest (Jan '06); 11th in U-19 men's foil (also 3rd among all men's foil teams) at the 2006 Summer Nationals (Atlanta); 23rd in overall men's foil bouts at the N.A.C. in Sacramento, Calif. (April '06) ... fenced foil and epee in early years ... his '04-'05 results included: 5th overall, 21st in U-19 and 11th in U-16 men's foil at Summer Nationals (Sacramento); 26th in U-20s at 2005 Jr. Olympics in Arlington, Texas (Feb '05); and 11th in U-17 foil at Atlanta N.A.C. (Oct '04) ... in '03-'04, he won D-2 men's epee at N.A.C. in Arlington while placing 25th in U-14 Atlanta N.A.C. ... U-14 runner-up in men's epee and 14th in U-14 men's foil at N.A.C. in Overland Park, Kan. (Oct. '03) ... his earliest results included: 22nd in U-14 foil at 2003 Summer Nationals; 9th in U-12 foil at 2002 Summer Nationals (Greenville, S.C.); runner-up in U-12 foil at Louisville N.A.C. (April '02); 5th in U-12 foil at N.A.C. in Saratoga Springs, Calif. (Jan. '02); 7th in U-10 foil at N.A.C. in Orlando (May 2000); U-10 runner-up in foil and 3rd in U-10 epee at N.A.C. in St. Paul, Minn. (Oct '99); 8th in U-10 epee and 28th in U-10 foil at '99 Summer Nationals (Charlotte, N.C.) ... his father Wendell Kubik was 1981 Air Force fencing captain and placed 10th in NCAA foil ... his younger brother Nick was 5th in U-17 foil at '07 Jr. Olympics (Denver) and 16th at U-17 World Cup in Koblenz, Germany (Jan. '07) ... a USFA-certified referee who has volunteered at various fencing camps ... member of National Honor Society ... graduated first in his class ... placed second at Texas State German Competition (for extemporary speech) ... grandfather Harold Yount was All-America rifleman at Penn State ('41), a career Colonel and project manager for U.S. Army's M-16 rifle ... son of Wendell and Jeana Kubik ... Steven John Kubik ... born Oct. 2, 1989, in Colorado Springs ... enrolled in First Year of Studies.