College Fencing with Durkan

Two fencers in full gear compete on strip 14, with one celebrating a point while the other resets mid-bout.

College Fencing Opportunities — Benefits of Fencing in College

There are many opportunities for fencers to compete at the collegiate level both on NCAA and Club programs.

Fencing in college has many benefits including:

  • Student Athletes have higher GPAs

  • NCAA fencers can receive priority registration and housing as well as athletic scholarships

  • Regular physical activity

  • Team Environment

  • Job Recruiters LOVE college athletes

College Recruitment/Scholarships

Fencers have an excellent chance of getting a college scholarship (see graph below). In addition, fencing is a highly recruited talent for Ivy League Schools. Ivy League Schools cannot give athletic scholarships, but they do offer recruitment spots to top athletes every year.

Durkan Fencing Academy is very experienced with the college admissions and the NCAA recruitment process. Patrick Durkan was a recruited fencer to both Harvard and Columbia Universities (He graduated from Columbia). Amy Durkan is a graduate of Cornell University with a Master’s Degree from Columbia. Together, the have years of experience in elite college recruiting. Our highly educated team is here to guide you through the process.

NCAA Fencing Teams

Division I, II and III - NCAA Teams

Club Teams - Many colleges have club fencing programs. Club teams are a great way to continue fencing in college with less commitment to practices and competitions than an NCAA program.

Colleges are shifting focus: SAT/ACT optional, grade inflation, AP alternatives. They evaluate the “whole person,” not just scores. Example: Harvard could admit only perfect-score students, but doesn’t.
Female fencers have the best odds of earning a scholarship (7.5%). Volleyball is the most competitive men’s sport, while most other sports fall between 1–3%.
Lists Division I, Ivy League, Division II, and Division III colleges with fencing teams, including schools like Harvard, Notre Dame, Stanford, Columbia, and MIT.
Fencing athletes have the highest average high school GPA (3.77 men, 3.80 women), with basketball and football lowest among men, and bowling/basketball lowest among women.

Durkan’s College Fencers

Brandeis

Matthew Rothenberg

Columbia University

Ben Sherwin

Brittin Boenning

Maciej Biernacki

Rienzi Gokea

Tomasz Otlowski

Cornell

Ash Horsley

Harvard

George Haglund

Lafayette College

Ian Miller

Massachusetts
Institute of Technology

Phil Miller

Philip Murzynowski

NJIT

Justyn Hall

NYU

Lawrence Fung

Mari Binstock

Thomas Bergman

NYU Stern

Mickey Bak

Quinten Burgunder

Penn State University

Karol Metryka

Princeton

Hermanus Kreike-Martin

Isabella Impalli

Sacred Heart

Sophie Witek

Stevens Institute
of Technology

Jenny Drozd

Logan Rechler

Matthew Jacobson

Michael Szczesniak

The Ohio State
University

Brian Roseboro

Robert Caldwell

UNC

Bernard Witek

Sydney Persing

University of Chicago

Caleb Sussman

Vassar

Alex Moyse

Worcester
Polytechnic Institute

Jacob Salerno

Levi Koeppel

Yale

Jayson Thompson

Sam Rooney