Fencing.net

Men’s Epee NCAA Fencer: Brian Ro

Fencing on a collegiate team, whether it be a Division I NCAA team or an intramural club fencing program, can be a very rewarding experience. If you plan on fencing in college, it’s best to do your research on the various programs available to you at the schools where your academic interests take you. Most top tier colleges have fencing available – either as an NCAA or collegiate club program, so you don’t have to give anything up on the academic side to find fencing in college.

In a recent image posted on Facebook and other social media outlets, the graphic boasted the percentage of fencers moving on to participating in an NCAA collegiate fencing team was 32.3%. This was in comparison to basketball at 5.9% and football at 7.8%. The post was seen 2,948 times and shared by over 40 people. That’s viral in the fencing world. It’s also sparked some interest by students and parents about the possibilities and processes about fencing in college.

There are over 300 high school seniors currently registered as competitive members of US Fencing as of January 2014. It’s safe to assume that those fencers are competitive and looking to possibly fence in college.

According to scholarshipstats.com, the chances of a high school athlete competing in an NCAA collegiate fencing team is broken down into women and men. The following statistics are from the 2011-2012 school year. This lists the total high school age fencers and total number of fencers in an NCAA program. Note that these give a higher percentage chance of making it than is realistic as the number of high school fencers is not fully represented in the ScholarshipStats data.

Just for fun, here is what ScholarshipStats says:

-MEN: 1,925 high school fencers; 622 NCAA collegiate fencers…32.3% chance of competing in college.

-WOMEN: 1,771 high school fencers; 674 NCAA collegiate fencers…38.1% chance of competing in college.

Those are pretty good chances when you compare that percentage to other “mainstream” sports like soccer, football and basketball. All of which, for both men and women, have a percentage in the single digits to play for an NCAA college team. Fencing tops both the men and women in percentage of playing in college by a pretty wide margin.



The full size infographic is available here.

With those statistics in mind, we spoke with a Division I NCAA fencing coach to give us some background about how to prepare, shop, apply and attend a college as a fencer. Our fencing coach noted 6 things you need to have on your to do list.

Compile your academic test scores

Compile your fencing results and ratings

Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center

Submit an athlete recruiting questionnaire

Reach out to the fencing coach

Plan a college visit

To elaborate, start by gathering your standardized test scores. Make sure that you meet the requirements academically to be accepted into the college. “To be frank,” says our collegiate fencing coach, “the school’s academics are usually the biggest draw for many fencers. Many of our fencers are primarily looking for academic programs that fit their interests and goals; fencing is a great added bonus.”

As a high school fencer, you need to also track and gather your results and ratings. Maintain copies of your results from local and national tournaments. These are often available at either the US Fencing website or on AskFReD.net, but don’t always count on it. It’s helpful to write down your results during the tournament, not just to assist your training, but as a hard copy of results for perspective colleges. Some coaches also request videos; you should have some videos available, either of your bouts or lessons.

The high school fencer must also visit ncaa.org and register with the NCAA eligibility center. This will be one of the athlete’s greatest tools. A fencer and/or his parents will also be able to download the College Bound Athlete’s handbook on this website. Become very familiar with this book because all NCAA coaches will adhere strictly to its guidelines.

Next, you should visit the school’s athletic website and look for the fencing program’s Athlete Recruiting Questionnaire (most programs will have such a questionnaire). Contact the school’s athletic offices and inquire about one if you can’t find it immediately. The questionnaire allow the coach to get a snapshot of your contact information, background (including other extra-curricular activities), athletic information (points you may have, athlete stats, physical data, weapons you fence, your current club and coach), and academic information (SAT and ACT scores, current grade, class rank, intended major, etc.)

Speaking of coaches, you should also reach out to the coach by e-mail and phone. Officially, the coach cannot contact you until your junior year in high school; if you e-mail prior to that year, don’t expect a response…from anyone (coaches, assistant coaches, etc.). They can speak with you if you call and they happen to pick up the phone. If you don’t immediately hear back from the coach or assistant coach when you reach out during your junior year, trust me, they are busy.

“But persistence will sometimes pay off,” notes our collegiate fencing coach. “If I have two equally good fencers that have expressed interested in fencing for our school, and one of those fencers is constantly trying to contact me, naturally, we’re going to see some determination and it may pay off. Even if it means that I’ll call you back just so you’ll stop calling me.”

You’ll also want to plan a college visit; this is part of the “shopping for college” part. Remember, you’re in college to further your education, so you’ll not be a 24 hour fencer…you’ve got to study too. You want to make sure the college also “fits” you academically, socially and even emotionally. Strongly consider academic programs, social life, dorms, and other things the school has to offer. Distance from home may be another determining factor when attending a school, as well as costs. Your potential teammates are another aspect high school fencers consider when selecting the school. Is there a specific coach you want to work with? Are there current team members you want to train with? As a high school athlete, you’ll want to make a list of what you’re looking for in your college career in addition to the fencing program prior to your visit.

There are two types of college visits: unofficial and official. These visits have to occur before July 1 at the end of senior year. In a nutshell, this is what unofficial and official visits mean:

Unofficial: The student/family pays for the whole trip. Travel, food, expenses…it’s all on your dime. Again, this trip is to see if the school and all its components, including the fencing program, fit your goals and personality.

Official: The University pays for everything. Be prepared with your transcripts, test scores, travel itinerary, NCAA eligibility, etc. This visit is usually when the coach is going to make the hard sell to you. It’s when they are saying “we’re committed to you”. However, more coaches now are only utilizing the official visit when you’ve already been accepted into the college.

Contact the school’s athletic compliance staff and ask about the recruiting process if you have any questions about what you can and cannot do during your visits. All coaches will know and follow all NCAA guidelines.

It was difficult to determine how many fencers with USA Fencing national points actually continued to college. Needless to say, your chances of entering a top NCAA collegiate fencing program like Columbia, Penn State, Princeton, Notre Dame, Harvard, Stanford, St. John’s or UPenn are pretty decent if you have points and the high school academic fortitude to be accepted into the college.

In non- revenue producing sports such as fencing, the amount of scholarship money available is considerably less. There are several discussions online about fencing scholarships. In short, don’t count on it unless you’re on a national team, stateside or other. “Unless you’re in the top 20 on the points list, don’t count on a scholarship,” notes our fencing coach.

If you’ve got the athletic chutzpah, but are a little short on your academics, don’t discount yourself out of your desired collegiate program yet, this where you’ll need to communicate to the coach. If you have what the coach wants and needs, coaches have some pull with admission assistance, especially if you also run into out of state admission caps.

However, let’s assume that you’re an average fencer, perhaps have a C rating, often fencing in Div II and Div III competitions and is interested in fencing for an NCAA team. There are still a lot of programs offering NCAA fencing – 42 NCAA collegiate fencing programs to be exact. Some with teams with fairly large rosters; New York University, for example, has 31 men and 25 woman fencers. Don’t discount participating on a DIV II and DIV III collegiate program; they are very active in the college fencing circuits.

Several other teams have walk-on programs. Brown and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill both have walk-on programs. Applying for a college with potential fencing walk-on programs may also increase your chances of getting on the team. Even if you don’t get into an NCAA program there are many universities that have active club programs.

As you begin to shop for college and look into becoming a student athlete, you have to make a list of priorities. Keep in mind that many fencers are looking, if not as much as, but more of what the university can provide academically than athletically. Students are recommended to start on the 6 steps for preparing to be a college athlete, especially registering with the NCAA eligibility center and downloading the athletes handbook. Best of luck with your college and fencing endeavors!

And to help you on your way, here are some listings of the NCAA Programs:

Men’s NCAA Programs

College

Web Site

Boston College

http://www.bceagles.com/sports/m-fenc/bc-m-fenc-body.html

Brandeis University

http://www.brandeisjudges.com/sports/mfencing/index

Brown University

http://www.brownbears.com/sports/c-fenc/index/

California Institute of Technology

http://www.gocaltech.com/sports/fencing/index

Cleveland State University

http://www.csuvikings.com/sports/c-fenc/clst-c-fenc-body.html

Columbia University

http://www.gocolumbialions.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=9600&SPID=4049&SPSID=45279

Drew University

http://www.drewrangers.com/index.aspx?path=mfence&tab=fencing

Duke University

http://www.goduke.com/fencing

Harvard University

http://www.gocrimson.com/sports/mfencing/index

Haverford College

http://www.haverfordathletics.com/sports/mfencing/index

Hunter College

http://www.huntercollegeathletics.com/index.aspx?tab=fencing&path=mfence

Johns Hopkins University

http://www.hopkinssports.com/sports/m-fenc/jhop-m-fenc-body.html

Lafayette College

http://www.goleopards.com/sports/c-fenc/lafa-c-fenc-body.html

Lawrence University

http://www.lawrence.edu/athletics/fencing/

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

http://mitathletics.com/sports/m-fenc/index

New Jersey Institution of Techonology

http://www.njithighlanders.com/index.aspx?tab=fencing&path=mfence

New York University

http://www.gonyuathletics.com/index.aspx?tab=fencing&path=mfence

Ohio State University

http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/c-fenc/osu-c-fenc-body.html

Pennsylvania State University

http://www.gopsusports.com/sports/m-fenc/psu-m-fenc-body.html

Princeton University

http://www.goprincetontigers.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=10600&SPID=4262&SPSID=46855

Sacred Heart University

http://www.sacredheartpioneers.com/sports/m-fenc/index

St. John's University (New York)

http://www.redstormsports.com/sports/c-fenc/stjo-c-fenc-body.html

Stanford University

http://www.gostanford.com/sports/c-fenc/stan-c-fenc-body.html

Stevens Instituite of Technology

http://www.stevensducks.com/index.aspx?tab=mensfencing2&path=mfence

U.S. Air Force Academy

http://www.goairforcefalcons.com/sports/c-fenc/afa-c-fenc-body.html

University of California San Diego

http://www.ucsdtritons.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=5800&SPID=11061&SPSID=93257

University of Detroit Mercy

http://www.detroittitans.com/index.aspx?tab=fencing&path=mfen

University of North Carolina

http://www.goheels.com/SportSelect.dbml?SITE=UNC&DB_OEM_ID=3350&SPID=12983&SPSID=667892

University of Notre Dame

http://www.und.com/sports/c-fenc/nd-c-fenc-body.html

University of Pennsylvania

http://www.pennathletics.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=1700&SPID=607&SPSID=10605

Vassar College

http://www.vassarathletics.com/index.aspx?tab=fencing&path=mfence

Wayne State University (Michigan)

http://wsuathletics.com/index.aspx?path=mfence&tab=0

Yale University

http://www.yalebulldogs.com/sports/m-fenc/index

Yeshiva University

http://www.yumacs.com/index.aspx?tab=fencing&path=mfence

Women’s NCAA Programs

College

Web Site

Boston College

http://www.bceagles.com/sports/w-fenc/bc-w-fenc-body.html

Brandeis University

http://www.brandeisjudges.com/sports/wfencing/index

Brown University

http://www.brownbears.com/sports/c-fenc/index

California Institute of Technology

http://www.gocaltech.com/sports/fencing/index

City College of New York

http://www.ccnyathletics.com/index.aspx?tab=fencing&path=wfence

Cleveland State University

http://www.csuvikings.com/sports/c-fenc/clst-c-fenc-body.html

Columbia University-Barnard College

http://www.gocolumbialions.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=9600&SPID=4049&SPSID=45279

Cornell University

http://www.cornellbigred.com/index.aspx?path=fencing&tab=1

Drew University

http://www.drewrangers.com/index.aspx?path=wfence&tab=fencing2

Duke University

http://www.goduke.com/fencing

Farliegh Dickingson University

http://fduknights.com/index.aspx?path=wfence&

Harvard University

http://www.gocrimson.com/sports/wfencing/index

Haverford College

http://www.haverfordathletics.com/sports/wfencing/index

Hunter College

http://www.huntercollegeathletics.com/index.aspx?tab=fencing2&path=wfence

Johns Hopkins University

http://www.hopkinssports.com/sports/w-fenc/jhop-w-fenc-body.html

Lawrence University

http://www.lawrence.edu/athletics/fencing/

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

http://mitathletics.com/sports/w-fenc/index

New Jersey Institution of Techonology

http://www.njithighlanders.com/index.aspx?tab=fencing2&path=wfence

New York University

http://www.gonyuathletics.com/index.aspx?tab=fencing2&path=wfence

Northwestern University

http://www.nusports.com/sports/w-fenc/nw-w-fenc-body.html

Ohio State University

http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/c-fenc/osu-c-fenc-body.html

Princeton University

http://www.goprincetontigers.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=10600&SPID=4273&SPSID=46899

Queen's College (New York)

http://www.queensknights.com/sports/fencing/index

Sacred Heart University

http://www.sacredheartpioneers.com/sports/w-fenc/index

Stanford University

http://www.gostanford.com/sports/c-fenc/stan-c-fenc-body.html

Stevens Instituite of Technology

http://www.stevensducks.com/index.aspx?tab=womensfencing2&path=wfence

Temple Univeristy

http://www.owlsports.com/index.aspx?tab=fencing&path=wfence

Tufts University

http://www.gotuftsjumbos.com/sports/wfencing/index

U.S. Air Force Academy

http://www.goairforcefalcons.com/sports/c-fenc/afa-c-fenc-body.html

University of California San Diego

http://www.ucsdtritons.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=5800&SPID=11061&SPSID=93257

University of Detroit Mercy

http://www.detroittitans.com/index.aspx?tab=fencing2&path=wfen

University of North Carolina Chapel Hill

http://www.goheels.com/SportSelect.dbml?SITE=UNC&DB_OEM_ID=3350&SPID=12983&SPSID=667892

University of Notre Dame

http://www.und.com/sports/c-fenc/nd-c-fenc-body.html

University of Pennsylvania

http://www.pennathletics.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=1700&SPID=608&SPSID=10717

Vassar College

http://www.vassarathletics.com/index.aspx?tab=_fencing&path=wfence

Wayne State University (Michigan)

http://wsuathletics.com/index.aspx?path=wfence&tab=1

Wellesley College

http://www.wellesleyblue.com/sports/wfencing/index

Yale University

http://www.yalebulldogs.com/sports/w-fenc/index

Yeshiva University

http://www.yumacs.com/index.aspx?tab=_fencing&path=wfence

Collegiate Fencing Clubs

College

Web Site

Allegheny College

http://alleghenygators.com/sports/2010/4/19/Int_0419103939.aspx?id=171

Amarillo College

http://www.acfencers.com/

Appalachian State University

http://www.asufencing.com

Arizona State University

http://www.asufencingclub.com

Augustana College

http://www.augustana.edu/x20800.xml

Ball State University

http://bsufc.iweb.bsu.edu/

Bates College

http://www.bates.edu/pe/academics/club-sports-teams/

Baylor University

http://www.baylor.edu/studentorgs/index.php?id=48049&orgCode=FEN

Beloit College

http://blink.beloit.edu/organization/fencingclub

Boston University

http://blogs.bu.edu/bufence/

Bowdoin College

http://students.bowdoin.edu/fencing/

California Polytechnic

http://www.calpolyfencing.com

Carnegie Mellon University

http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/fencing/

Catholic University of America

http://cua.campusgroups.com/fencing

Clemson University

http://www.clemson.edu/Fencers/

Colby College

http://www.colby.edu/campus_cs/clubs/fencing/

College of William and Mary

http://wmfencing.wix.com/wmfencing

Dartmouth College

http://www.dartmouth.edu/~fencing

Denison University

http://denisonbigred.com/clubandimsports/clubsports/fencing

Eastern Kentucky University

http://campusrec.eku.edu/sport-club-contacts

Emory University

https://www.facebook.com/groups/8336220355/verifyID=0B93EDBACA28EC2D6E8689F6B47F8B90

Portand State University

http://www.fencing.groups.pdx.edu

University of Houston

http://www.uhrecreation.com/asc/fencing

Florida State University

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2204346027/

Fulton-Montgomery Community College

http://faculty.fmcc.suny.edu/mcdarby/Pages/Fencing_Club/InfoSheet.htm

Furman University

https://orgsync.com/59331/chapter

Georgia Institute of Technology

http://www.yellowjacketfencing.com

Georgia Southern University

https://sites.google.com/site/gasoufencing/

Goucher College

http://students.goucher.edu/fenceclub.index.hrml

George Washington University

http://gwfencingclub.blogspot.com/

Humboldt State University

http://humboldt.edu/clubs/club_sites/fencing

Idaho State University

http://fencing.computersart.net/

Indiana University

http://www.indiana.edu/~fencing/

Indiana University of Pennsylvania

http://iupfencing.wordpress.com/

Iowa State University

http://www.fencing.stuorg.iastate.edu/

James Madison University

http://info.jmu.edu/fencingclub/

Kansas University

http://groups.ku.edu/~fencing/

Kennesaw State

http://www.ksuclubsports.com/news/2011/3/1/fencing_intro.aspx

Kent State University

http://www.facebook.com/KSUFencing

Las Positas College

http://lpc1.clpccd.cc.ca.us/lpc/rheinheimer/fencing.html

Lehigh University

http://www.lehighsports.com/info/im_club/descrips.aspx#Fencing_Club

Marist College

http://clubs.marist.edu/fencing/

Miami Univeristy of Ohio

http://www.orgs.muohio.edu/mufencing/

Middle Tennessee State University

http://mtsu.edu/camprec/clubs/Clubsinfo.php#fencing

Millersville University

https://involved.millersville.edu/organization/fencing

Milwaukee School of Engineering

http://www.go-raiders.com/inside/club_sports

Montana State University

http://bozeman-fencing.org

Michigan Technological University

http://www.involvement.mtu.edu/organization/fencing-club

Mt. Holyoke College

http://www.mtholyoke.edu/org/fencing/Fencing/Welcome.html

Murray State University

http://www.murraystate.edu/Campus/orgsRecreation/sportsRecWellness/sportClubs.aspx

National Intercollegiate Women's Fencing Association

http://www.niwfa.com

North Carolina State University

https://orgsync.com/4419/chapter

Northern Illinois University

https://sites.google.com/site/niufencingclub/

Oberlin College

http://www.ocflamingblades.com

Oneonta State

http://www.oneonta.edu/development/clubs/fencing/default.asp

Purdue University

http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~fencing/

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

http://fencing.union.rpi.edu/

Rutgers University

http://www.sportclubs.rutgers.edu/Content/Fencing.asp

Smith College

http://sophia.smith.edu/hellsbelles

SUNY Stony Brook

http://stonybrook.collegiatelink.net/organization/FencingClub

Swarthmore College

http://orgs.sccs.swarthmore.edu/swatfencing/

Texas A&M University

http://fencing.tamu.edu/

Texas State University-San Marcos

http://www.campusrecreation.txstate.edu/fencing

Texas Tech University

http://www.depts.ttu.edu/recsports/sportclubs/clubs/Fencing.php

Tulane University

http://www.tulane.edu/~tufence/

UCLA

http://www.studentgroups.ucla.edu/fencing

US Military Academy - West Point

http://www.usma.edu/dca/SitePages/Club_fenc.aspx

United States Naval Academy

http://www.usna.edu/FencingClub/

University of California - Berkeley

http://fencing.berkeley.edu/

University of California - Irvine

http://www.clubs.uci.edu/fencing/

University of Chicago

http://fencing.uchicago.edu/

University of Colorado

http://www.colorado.edu/studentgroups/fencingclub

University of Idaho

http://www.uiweb.uidaho.edu/student_orgs/fencingclub/

University of Illinois

http://www.thepointfencingclub.com/index.php/component/content/article/6-stories/11-fencing-illini

University of Florida

http://www.floridafencing.info/

University of Maryland

http://www.umdfencing.com/

University of Massachusetts-Amherst

http://www.umass.edu/rso/fencing/

University of Minnesota

http://www.umnfencing.org/

University of Nevada-Reno

https://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_102294026510341

University of Northern Colorado

https://www.facebook.com/unco.bears.fencing

University of Southern California

http://www-scf.usc.edu/~fencing/

University of Tennessee

http://web.utk.edu/~fencing

University of Texas-Austin

http://www.utexasfencing.org/

University of Vermont

http://thelynx.collegiatelink.net/organization/uvm-fencing

University of Virginia

http://atuva.student.virginia.edu/organization/virginiafencingclub

University of Washington

http://students.washington.edu/fencing/

University of Wisconsin

http://win.wisc.edu/organization/fencing/about

Univerity of Wyoming

https://www.facebook.com/groups/UWfencing/

Virginia Tech

http://www.fencing.org.vt.edu/

Washington State University

http://53398.orgsync.com/org/wsufencingclub

West Virginia University

http://fencingclub.studentorgs.wvu.edu/

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

http://users.wpi.edu/~fencing/

Xavier University

http://www.xavier.edu/clubsports/fencing/index.cfm

Fencing in College – How to Get on an NCAA Fencing Team