At a time when Olympic sports competing in NCAA competitions fear for their existence as Division I schools navigate the new revenue-sharing system, USA Fencing is stepping up to help collegiate fencing. Earlier this month, Arcadia University in Pennsylvania announced it was adding men’s and women’s NCAA programs as of fall 2027. Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey, which has women’s fencing, will add men’s as of 2027. Arcadia’s programs are receiving support from USA Fencing, the sport’s national governing body.
“This is an exciting time in fencing,” said Brad Suchorski, USA Fencing director of membership, service, and growth. “Over the Paris Games, everyone on our Olympic team was either a former, current, or had been recruited to an NCAA program. We know there is a correlation between a very strong national team and a strong collegiate system for fencing. That’s where a lot of our focus and emphasis is, around ensuring the collegiate pipeline.”
The 2024 Olympics in Paris marked unprecedented success in fencing. Two female U.S. fencers, Lee Kiefer and Lauren Scruggs, faced each other in the gold medal match for foil. Kiefer is an NCAA individual and team champion for Notre Dame. Scruggs won an NCAA title for Harvard. Their teammates in the team competition, Jackie Dubrovich and Maia Weintraub, were also collegiate fencers.
“While we’ve had conversations with a lot of schools for years, now is when we’re starting to see a little bit more of an uptick in [schools deciding] fencing is the right sport for them,” said Suchorski. “We were engaged with Arcadia for a couple of years leading up to the announcement.”
USA Fencing has worked with the NCAA and with college coaches, providing recruiting opportunities like college fairs at national events and a centralized recruiting database. The federation was involved with the development of a separate women’s collegiate championship.
“That way, there’s a dedicated men’s championship and now a dedicated women’s championship (debuting in 2026),” said Suchorski. “For the first time, they’ll be able to crown a women’s team champion.”
Arcadia sports compete in NCAA Division III, but fencing allows student-athletes to compete across divisions. “People will have the opportunity to compete against Division II and Division I schools,” said Suchorski. “The NCAA Championship is also cross-division…Arcadia will have an opportunity to compete against Penn State and those Ivy League schools.”