New Jersey City University Athletics

Irene was one of the leading members, and captain, of Coach Tom Gerrity’s 1942 and 1943 woman’s fencing teams. Teams that won consecutive National Intercollegiate Championships over such colleges as Cornell and NYU.  These titles are among the greatest athletic achievements at Jersey City State. At the 1942 nationals, the team finished with an 8-1 record was and Irene’s record was 23-6. In the 1943 nationals, the team mark was 8-0 and Irene’s contribution was 15-5 in a field of 300 women. Also, in 1943, Irene placed first at the New Jersey State Individual Senior Championships. A Health Education and Nursing major at Jersey City, she later earned an M.A. in Education at the University of Maryland. She has coached fencing at Snyder High, Ferris High, and Glassboro State. Irene is married to Robert Brierley, a teacher at Dickinson High School. They have two children.