Princeton University Athletics
Men's Fencing Coaching Records & Program Facts
Updated Following the 2025-26 Season
First Match: 1925, exact date unknown, vs. Syracuse
All-Time Record: 870-397-2 (.686)
Head Coaching Register
| Coach | Years | W | L | T | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F.G. McPherson | 1925-26 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .500 |
| M. McPherson | 1926-27 | 1 | 5 | 0 | .167 |
| Joe DeVos | 1927-32 | 17 | 17 | 0 | .500 |
| H.H. Pirotte | 1932-43 | 31 | 47 | 1 | .392 |
| Stan Sieja | 1946-82 | 258 | 133 | 1 | .658 |
| Michel Sebastiani | 1982-2006 | 213 | 89 | 0 | .705 |
| Zoltan Dudas | 2006-present | 388 | 126 | 0 | .755 |
Championships
Ivy League Championships (18): 1959, 1960, 1966, 1969, 1975, 1980, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2010, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2024, 2025
Intercollegiate Fencing Association Championships (4): 1969, 1979, 1998, 1999
NCAA Championships (2): 1964, 2013
Quick Facts
- Princeton won the 1964 NCAA Championship, three years after finishing as the national runner-up. It was Princeton’s final NCAA team championship until men’s lacrosse won the 1992 national title.
- Nine Princeton men’s fencers have won NCAA individual championships: Chambless Johnston ’51 (1951, sabre), Henry Kolowrat ’54 (1954, épée), Kinmont Hoitsma ’56 (1956, épée), Bill Hicks ’64 (1964, foil), Harald Winkmann ’95 (1994, épée), Max Pekarev ’99 (1996, sabre), Soren Thompson ’05 (épée), Jonathan Yergler ’13 (épée) and Tristan Szapary ’24 (épée).
- Five Princetonians have received the Illinois Memorial Trophy, awarded annually to the “Fencer of the Year” at the NCAA Championships: Chambless Johnston ’51 (1951), Fleet Johnston ’56 (1956), Frank Anger ’61 (1961), Bill Hicks ’64 (1964) and John Nonna ’70 (1969).
- Beginning in 1990, the NCAA Championship was a combined men’s and women’s event. In 1993, the men’s épée and foil squads combined with the women’s foil team to lead Princeton to a fifth-place finish, its best in 10 years. In 1994, the men’s épée and saber squads combined with the women’s foil team to take fourth place at the championships, while the Tigers earned a national championship in men’s épée. Princeton won the combined NCAA Championship for the first time in 2013, finishing ahead of Notre Dame, 182-175, in bout wins. The NCAA moved to separate men’s and women’s championships in 2025-26.
- Princeton finished in the top four at the combined NCAA Championships in 11 of the 13 seasons in which the program competed from 2012 through 2025.
- In 1993, Princeton finished fifth at the NCAA Championships, its best national finish in 10 years, with the men’s épée and foil squads combining with the women’s foil team. In 1994, the men’s épée and sabre squads joined with the women’s foil team to place fourth nationally, while the Tigers also won the national championship in men’s épée.
- Stan Sieja coached Princeton for 37 seasons and remains one of the central figures in program history. Princeton’s fencing venue in Jadwin Gym is named in his honor.
- Henry Kolowrat ’54 and Lee Shelley ’78 both won United States championships in épée.
- Two Princeton men’s fencers have won Olympic medals. Henry Breckinridge 1907 earned bronze in team foil in 1920, and Tracy Jaeckel ’28 won bronze in team épée in 1932.
- Several other Princetonians have competed internationally. Mohamed Hamza ’23 reached the quarterfinals of the Tokyo Olympics while competing for Egypt, Soren Thompson ’05 reached the quarterfinals of the Athens Olympics, and Dan Nowosielski ’90 competed for Canada in both foil and épée team events at the 1992 Summer Olympics. Lee Shelley ’78 represented the United States in team épée. Earlier Princeton Olympians include John Nonna ’70, Kinmont Hoitsma ’56 and Henry Kolowrat ’54.
- Harald Winkmann ’95 became Princeton’s first NCAA fencing champion since 1964 when he won the 1994 épée title with a 16-15 decision in sudden-death overtime.
- Princeton won its first outright Ivy League championship in 1994, going 4-0 in league matches. The Tigers repeated as undefeated Ivy champions in 1995, 1997 and 2000, and later returned to undefeated Ivy finishes in 2010, 2012, 2024 and 2025.