During the winter season, The Chronicle is polling its readers every week via its Sportswrap newsletter to highlight one Blue Devil athlete’s outstanding performance. This week, the spotlight is on Skylar Knight of Duke women’s fencing:
In a dominant display, No. 6 Duke women’s fencing celebrated its seniors with a 5-0 result at the Beguinet Classic, hosted at home in Wilson Recreation Center. Leading the pack was junior Skylar Knight, who boasted nine foil wins, six of which were consecutive.
"The Duke Meet is always one of my favorite competitions of the season," Knight said. "The energy is amazing on the home turf, especially when friends and professors come out to cheer! Coach Shaimaa [Elgammal] has been a wonderful addition to our team this year and is such an inspiration."
The previous weekend, Knight earned a 12-3 foil record to tie for most wins at the Eric Sollee Invitational, hosted by MIT. Her wins helped carry the Blue Devils’ to victory in that tournament against Boston College, Brown, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Stevens and No. 2 NYU.
"Overall, our team has been having an incredible season, and I'm so excited for the ACC Championships this weekend," Knight said.
In her time at Duke, the Palo Alto, Calif., native has cemented herself as a vital part of the women’s fencing team. Knight’s rookie season saw her finishing 21-9 — a 70.0% win record — and placing seventh at the individual ACC Championships.
The foil champ continued her streak of excellence in her sophomore year. She ended with a 24-14 win record that season, impressively racking up a 9-1 score card at the Eric Sollee Invitational last winter. This year, she currently stands at a 26-9 win record.
Throughout her impressive athletic career, Knight has maintained her stellar academic record as she pursues degrees in computer science and visual media studies with a minor in cinematic arts. At Duke, she has been named to the ACC All-Academic Team, the USFCA All-Academic Team and twice to the ACC Honor Roll.
Knight’s junior season is shaping up to be her best yet, with a career-high win percentage of 74.3%. Earlier this month, Duke women’s fencing defeated No. 1 Harvard in a massive upset with a hard-won 15-12 victory, a sign that the team is ready to continue rising to the challenge in the postseason.
As the sixth-ranked Blue Devils look ahead to the ACC Championship in two weeks, it is evident that Knight will be a pivotal part of the team’s competitive effort.
Get to know Knight
- Favorite pregame meal: Oatmeal
- Favorite athletics memory at Duke: Getting to travel and bond with my team!
- Favorite hobby: Training crows
- Favorite song: "Achilles Come Down" by Gang of Youths
- Favorite class at Duke: ECE 350, Digital Systems, VMS 760S, Cinematography
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Sign up for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.