Quality over quantity. Duke fencing proved the common saying true this weekend, with four Blue Devils earning the team a 12th-place finish at the NCAA Championships to cap off their season. The squad was led by junior Rachel Koo, who placed eighth in women’s foil and earned a spot on the All-American second team.
“Usually we go with a bigger number [of fencers], so that was a little bit of a disadvantage,” head coach Omar Elgeziry said Monday. “But overall, the fencers performed really well, and I was very happy with the four fencers’ performances.”
After missing out on the NCAA Championships last year, Koo returned to the national competition with a vengeance. This time around, the New Jersey native’s impressive regular season resume could not be ignored. Koo finished the weekend 15-8 and in the top 10 of women’s foil, jumping 10 spots from her 18th-place finish from her freshman season. The junior has proven herself to be a critical component of this Duke foil squad, leading the team in its regular season wins at the Beguinet Classic and Eric Sollee Invitational.
“Returning back to the NCAAs, it showed that she was prepared and ready,” Elgeziry said. “I think that ignited her and made her more excited to push harder.”
The depth of the Duke women’s foil squad was underscored by the performance of sophomore Charlotte Koenig, who took home 17th place with a 9-14 record in her second NCAA Championships appearance. After finishing ninth in the discipline last year and second at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic/South Regional earlier this month, expectations were high going into the tournament. The New York City native was unfortunately caught off guard by the level of competition and fell on the wrong side of several close bouts. Both Koo and Koenig battled through a tough pool this year, facing two Olympians and several world champions throughout the two days of play. Despite the disappointment, the sophomore can still look back on the consistency she displayed throughout the regular and postseason.
“I believe that consistency is very important, and I think her performance reflects how strong of an athlete she is,” Elgeziry said.
On the flip side, fellow sophomore Dayaal Singh had no expectations going into the NCAA Championships. The New Jersey native had a breakthrough performance at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic/South Regional, placing third in men’s foil — the highest for a Duke fencer in that discipline since 2019. In his first NCAA Championship appearance, Singh made it clear that he isn’t a one-hit wonder. He backed up his Regionals run with a 12-12 record and earned an All-American Honorable Mention distinction. The sophomore has shined through the postseason and Duke fans can look forward to following where this momentum will take him.
“He went in, he powered through, and did very well over the two days. I think it shows the resilience that he has and the consistency, as well,” Elgeziry said. “This is year two for him, so he has two more years ahead of him to have that experience, and then hopefully next year it will be even better.”
Duke’s four-fencer squad was rounded out by freshman foilist Joseph Glasson, who placed 15th (11-13). In his short time on the team, Glasson has shown himself to be one of, if not the most, consistent fencers on this Blue Devil roster.
“He finished strong still for freshmen, he's very young, so we have a lot of room to improve and to grow from here,” Elgeziry said. “But as of right now, I think he's doing pretty good.”
With Elgeziry’s second season in Duke blue at an end, the head coach believes that the team is headed in the right direction, despite not qualifying as many fencers as he had hoped to for the NCAA Championships, particularly in the epee and saber disciplines. The Blue Devils had a stellar regular season and the competitiveness of the men’s squad is at an all-time high under Elgeziry’s leadership.
“I feel that the team is growing,” Elgeziry said. “The team is going at a good, consistent rate, trending up, and that for me is a good indicator.”
With his first recruit class on its way in, Elgeziry looks to continue building the Blue Devils’ regular season success and preparing players for the rigour of collegiate fencing.
“Our fencers, when they showed up at the championships, performed better than five or six fencers. I feel that shows the work we're doing, and the grit and resilience we had.”
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