NYAC members are credited with bringing the sport of contemporary fencing to the United States in the late 1800's, and the NYAC was one of the first organized fencing competition clubs in the USA.
The NYAC Fencing Program has a long and proud history of producing Olympians, World Team Members and National Champions. Since our beginning, our fencing program has produced National Champions, NCAA champions, Pan American Champions, Maccabia Champions, Junior World Champions and Junior Olympic Champions. In the last four Olympic quadrennials, the NYAC fencing team had five Olympians in 1996; Two Olympians in 2000, Three Olympians in 2004 and two Olympians in 2008. We are willing to invest time, effort and support to help develop the next great fencer. The NYAC is willing to partner with the right athletes to reach a common goal of achieving Olympic dreams.
The NYAC Sabre program is by invitation only. This poilcy is strictly enforced. On occassion we will invite fencers from around the world to train with our athletes.
CHAIRMAN - Michael Aufrichtig
Visit the NYAC EpeeTeam
NYAC WINTER and pre-SUMMER NATIONALS CAMP INFO
An Olympic Fencing Picture Presentation
The New York Athletic Club is one of the most prestigious athletic clubs in the world. It was established in the United States in 1868 by Henry Buermeyer, John Babcock and William Curtis. The club's charter was premised on "growth and development of amateur sport in the United States." The NYAC organized the first US championships in boxing, wrestling, and outdoor track and field, and brought the sport of fencing to the US. Today, the Club offers many sports, including rowing, wrestling, boxing, judo, fencing, basketball, rugby union, soccer, tennis, handball, squash, snooker, and more.The NYAC's history has been interwoven with that of the Olympic Games; NYAC members have won 123 Olympic gold medals, 40 silver medals, and 52 bronze medals. Thirty-nine NYAC olympians took home five gold medals, one silver medal and five bronze medals at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Forty NYAC members competed for three countries at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, winning 16 medals.
The club operates two facilities, one in New York City and the other on Travers Island which straddles the border of New Rochelle and Pelham Manor, New York. The City House, located at 180 Central Park South, occupies one of the finest locations in the city. A large, historic building built in the early twentieth century, it offers panoramic views of Central Park and is the athletic as well as the social hub of the Club. The 24-floor facility includes two restaurants, a cocktail lounge, library, ballroom, billiard room, meeting rooms, and eight floors of guest rooms for members and club guests. The athletic training floors include a swimming pool, basketball courts, boxing rings, a fencing and wrestling room, judo floor, and squash courts.
NYAC OLYMPIC MEDALS
NYAC DRESS CODE
NYAC OLYMPIC HISTORY
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NYAC SABRE COACHES
Patrick James Durkan
NYAC Sabre Coach
Coaching Resume:
2008-Present NYAC Sabre Coach
Men's: NYAC Team - 2nd Place
NYAC II Team - 6th Place
Woman's: NYAC Team - 7th Place
2010-Present Hunter College Head Coach
2007-2010 Regis High School Fencing Coach
2007-2009 Head Coach & Founder of Gotham Fencing
Fencing Resume:
2004 3rd in World _ the London World Cup
2001, 2000, 1999, & 1998 All American (Columbia College)
2000 Silver Medal _ Senior National Championships
1998 Senior National Champion (Youngest Senior Champion _ Age 19)
1998 Senior National Team
1998 Ranked 1st in US
1998 Junior National Champion (Under 20)
1998 Junior National Team (Under 20)
1997 Junior National Champion (Under 20)
1996 Junior National Team (Under 20)
1995 Cadet National Team (Under 17)
1993 Youth National Champion (Under 15)
Dr. Aladar Kogler was chosen to coach the United States Fencing Team in four Olympic Games. Add this to his experience as the coach of the Czechoslovakian Olympic and National Teams from 1963 to 1981, and you have a coach with seven Olympic Medals. The US Olympic Committee recognized him in 1998 as its National Coach of the Year In Fencing. In July 2006, Kogler was elected to the USFA National Hall of Fame.
Kogler was the USFA National Coach from 1983 to 2001, and is currently head coach of the USFA National Training Center at Columbia University. He coached the U.S. National Team in the World Championships for 17 years, and was selected to coach at the 1995 Pan American Games.
Michael Aufrichtig - Chairman NYAC Fencing
Michael is the Chairman of Fencing for the NYAC. An "A" rated fencer himself, Michael has brought a wealth of experience both on the strip and off to this position. Michael manages this program with the goal of success for every athlete. Michael develops a deep personal relationship with each athlete, and provides the utmost support for his athletes and the program. Along with his coaches, Michael hand picks each athlete to represent the NYAC program.
CLICK ON A TEAM MEMBER BELOW TO SEE BIO
Women's Senior Team
Men's Cadet Team
Men's Senior Team
Ben Igoe
Daria Schneider
Mel Rodriguez
Austin Ferrone
Mihail Etropolski
Stella Shifrin
Alfredo Roselli
Edward Radev
Andrew Fischl
Hareem Ahmad
Turner Wibbelsman
Jeff Spear
Lisa Verzino
Mikolaj Bak
Bryan Cheney
Sophie Denis
Richard Park
Paolo Roselli
Tanya Dainoski
Karol Metryka
Meghan Wu
Andrew Hull
Michael Szczesniak
Daniela Maldonado
Kyle Wilson
Julia Carlson
Jerry Liu
Debbie Moore
Richard Cohen
Vassil Etropolski
Visit the NYAC Epee Team
Coach - Yefim Litvan
Coach - Patrick Durkan
Sphie Denis
Stella not only excels athletically, but she is an exemplary student as well, obtaining Cum Laude honors with a 3.57 grade point average, while completing a double major in political science and vocal performance. From having a limited fencing knowledge at the beginning, to becoming a NCAA Championship participant and competing against the best (including Division I scholarship competitors), she has accomplished so much in such a short time and still has yet to reach her peak.
She was named to the EWFC All-Conference First Team in 2009 and was named the Sabre Fencer of the Year in 2010 and 2011. As a sophomore, she placed 26th at the NCAA Regional meet and ultimately finished third her senior year. She also won the 2010 NIWFA Christmas Invitational and the 2011 EWFC Individual Championship.
Rounding out her career, Stella participated in the 2011 NCAA National Championship at the Ohio State University where she finished 22nd, beating Division I athletically scholarship fencers from the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia, Ohio State, Air Force, Brown and Penn State
Best results:
2nd Place - Flower City SYC - 2011
1st Place - NJFA ROC Cadet
1st Place - Mission Fencing SYC - 2011
Best Results:
3rd Place - Garden State Games
8th Place - Medeo Sabre Open
Fencers for Regis High School
Coach - He doesn't need a coach!
Coach - Aladar Kogler
Michael Radev
16th Place - Men's Cadet - Summer Nationals 2011
1st place - Flower City SYC 2011
3rd place - Cobra RYC
Coach: Aladar Kogler
Born in Berkley (May 21, 1987), California, Daria grew up in Brookline, Massachusetts within walking distance of Fenway Park. Her dream of excelling in a sport began when Brandi Chastain started a media fire storm in 1999. Inspired by her first fencing coach, Ariana Klinkov, she shifted her focus to saber. She made the U.S. Junior Women's Saber team by earning a bronze medal at the junior World Cup in Spain in her sophomore year of high school. Daria enrolled at Columbia University where she was NCAA champion in 2007. Despite falling short in a bid for the Beijing Olympics, she secured a spot on the U.S. Senior National Fencing Team in 2009.
Daria has made and fenced on the U.S. National Women’s Saber Team for the past three years and placed 15th in women’s saber at the 2009 World Championships in Antalya, Turkey. She won a silver medal in the individual event at Pan American Championships in 2009 and a bronze at the World Cup and Olympic Qualifier in Gand in June of 2011. She is a three time Junior Olympic Champion and has a silver, two bronze medals and two fifth place finishes at Junior World cups in Spain, Ukraine, and Poland. She was NCAA Champion in 2007, NCAA Regional Champion in 2009 winning 21 of her 21 bouts, IFA champion in 2007 and won a bronze medal at the NCAA national championships in 2009.
Andrew Fischl (b. January 25, 1989) came to fencing late. He was 16 when he first started the sport but his late start did nothing to inhibit his growth as a fencer. He was recruited heavily by a number of schools and ultimately chose Vassar College in Poughkeepsie where he qualified for the NCAA's each of his four years there. In his senior season he was named an All-American. In 2009, after only four years of fencing he won the Bronze medal at the Junior Olympics. In 2010 Andrew finished third at the North American Cup in Virginia Beach, and eighth in Pittsburgh. Andrew began fencing internationally in January 2010. His top international result was 22nd at the Venezuela Grade A World Cup in June 2010. Last season in Athens he defeated the reigning Junior World #1 Sebastian Schroedter.
Andrew is coached by Mihail and Vassil Etropolski.
Melvin Rodriguez
Coach- Aladar Kogler
Melvin Rodriguez (b. May 8th, 1992) is a native of the Bronx, NY. He fences for the New York Athletic Club and is coached by Aladar Kogler. Melvin started fencing at the age of 12 under the tutelage of Riverdale Country School legend Martin Schneider. He continued to fence on the high school team where in his junior and senior years he accumulated a record of 59 wins and 3 losses. Melvin is a starter on the Columbia University fencing team. As a freshman he qualified for the NCAA National Championships and finished 10th at the NCAA Northeast Regionals. He was awarded the MVP award for his contributions to the team. He was ranked as high as 17th in the Cadet age category and finished 12th at the 2011 July Junior North American Cup. Melvin is a member of the Puerto Rican National Team and competes for them at the international level. He is currently studying history at Columbia and also coaches fencing at Riverdale, his former high school.
Coach- Patrick Durkan
Top Results
1st Place - 5th Annual Start Your Engines Open
1st Place - NJFA Wednesday Nights Division III Sabre
Michael Szczesniak DoB 05/23/95
Coach Patrick Durkan
2006 Denise O'Connor Youth Championship – Y10 1st
2006 Summer National Championship – Y10 9th
2008 Prise de Fer Boys' (SYC) Y12 Men's Saber 1st of 34
2008 Denise O'Connor Youth ChampionshipY12 Saber NR 1st of 18
2008 Mr. Ma Cup Y12 Mixed Saber NR 1st of 18
2009 Denise O'Connor Youth Championship - RYC Y14 Saber 1st of 32
2009 Summer National Championship – Y14 8th
2008-2009 Youth 14 Men's Sabre Rolling Point Standings #12
2009 Flower City SYCY14 Men's Saber C2 1st of 40
2009-2010 Youth 14 Men's Sabre Rolling Point Standings #9
2010 Mr. Ma Cup Y14 Men's Saber 3rd of 45
2011 Jeff Wolfe ROC Div 1A Senior Men's Saber A2 3rd of 31
2011 Summer National Championship – DIV 2 8th
2011 NYAC Mercury Cup #1 - Sabre Junior (U20) Saber B2 6th of 31
2011 NYAC Mercury Cup #1 - Sabre Senior Saber A2 5th of 26
Results
Jeff Spear (b. June 28, 1988) is an American fencer who grew up in Wynantskill, NY and currently competes for the New York Athletic Club. He is coached by Aladar Kogler. He has fenced for the US on the Senior world circuit for the last three years, helping the US team to a gold medal at the Panamerican championships in 2011. Prior to that, he was on the US Junior National Sabre team for two years, and finished 12th at the Junior World Championships in Aciriale, Italy, in 2008. As a member of the Junior team, he made the finals at World Cups in Poland, Italy, Canada, and Spain. He has also won a gold and a silver medal in the team event at US Junior National Championships, a silver medal at the US Junior Olympic Championships, and three silver medals in the team event at US Senior National Championships. Jeff competed on the fencing team at Columbia University from 2007-2010, serving as team captain in his final year. He helped Columbia to two Ivy League Championships and earned all-Ivy League honors all four years of his collegiate career. In 2008, Jeff was the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) National Champion and helped the Columbia team win a bronze medal at the National Championships. He earned all-American honors three times and won Intercollegiate Fencing Association championships twice. For his performance during his collegiate fencing career, Jeff was named Academic All-American of the Year (at large), ECAC scholar athlete of the year, NCAA Elite 88, and NCAA Today’s Top VIII, the highest award given by the NCAA to current athletes. Jeff is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society, is a Rhodes scholarship finalist, and graduated as the Columbia College class of 2010 Salutatorian. He has done archaeological research in Georgia and New Mexico and currently works in the Core Office at Columbia while training and competing full time.
Our Men's and Women's Sabre Team members are made up of past, current and future US Olympic Fencing Team and World Team members. Our athletes train on average 5 days a week at our facilities in New York City.
Our program is an elite US training program - we are not a fencing school or club - we are an Olympic Training program and our members have either achieved the highest ranks in competetive fencing, or that we believe will achieve those levels through our training center and Olympic coaches.
USA Bronze Medal Team Including NYAC Sabre Fencers Daria Schneider
BACK TO TEAM
The NYAC men's and women's Senior Sabre Fencing Team Pictures
Coach Durkan has revitalized the New York Athletic Club's Sabre program taking
it from four fencers competing nationally in 2008 to the 50 plus competitive athletes currently involved in the program.
Fencers and parents typically submit their fencing pictures to our website, and we are continually updating the site for your enjoyment.
CLICK ON PICTURES TO ENLARGE
The Gotham Fencing Academy's (Formerly known as American Fencing Academy) goal is to develop an American fencing tradition based on the Hungarian, Polish, and French schools of Fencing. Every great movement in history has been build upon the back of earlier successful traditions. Rome was build on the philosophy of the Greeks, American on the Western European cultural and legal traditions, and now the American Fencing Academy built on the great traditions of the Hungarian and Italian fencing traditions. The listed camp below is the second of many of these training camps. Both fencers and coaches are welcome to come to two weeks of 5 training camp lead by the Patrick Durkan, the sabre coach for the NYAC and multiple national champion and world cup medalist.
Patrick Durkan is the head sabre coach of the NYAC and worked with Aladar Kogler (Keith Smart's first coach and many time Olympic Coach). Coach Durkan has represented the USA at all levels of fencing on Cadet, Junior, and Senior Natal Teams. Additionally he spent most of his carear training against Keith Smart and competing against him for national titles. Having seen the methodology of the Hungarian System from Kogler and having studied the Russian system as a way to fence Keith he has a unique understanding of the Hungarian tradition. His continuing education has brought him to work with the national coach of Italy and in the future plans on training under Bauer.
For More information on this elite camp, please click here
BREAKING NEWS!!!!!
BERGAN SABRE OPEN
Michael Szczesnick won GOLD in the Bergan Men's and Women's Sabre open. 31 fencers competed in this event.
NAC - D RESULTS
Division I Men's Sabre, Olympic Qualifier - 142 entries
3 - Jeff Spear
9 - Ben Igoe
20 - Paolo Roselli
28 - Michael Etropolski
Division I Women's Sabre, Olympic Qualifier - 102 entries
7th - Daria Schneider
14th - Stella Shifirin
17th - Dora Varga
U- 20 Men's Sabre
14th - Rienzi Gokea
PAN AM ZONAL RESULTS
NYAC Sabre Crew at NAC
Click on an image above to get the story!
PLEASE NOTE that the NYAC Fencing Program get hundreds of emails a month from fencers and coaches asking to train with our athletes. Please submit your experience, your rating, your ranking and your other fencing accomplishments and when you plan on being in NYC, and we will consider your request.
Getting Here "When you are invited!"
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NYAC Epee Fencing - New York Athletic Club - All Rights reserved -2011 Musical Score by John Williams - 1984 Olympic Fanfare and Theme
