USA Fencing Announces Hall of Fame Class of 2027

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — USA Fencing is proud to announce the Hall of Fame Class of 2027. The eight inductees were determined through a combination of member voting and, for the Olympic Athlete and Veteran Athlete categories, objective scoring criteria evaluated by the Hall of Fame Committee.

(For a closer look at the objective scoring rubric for the Olympic Athlete and Veteran Athlete categories, click here. Note: the Available historical records do not allow the HOF committee to accurately identify U.S. National Champion Team medalists, so these are not currently used to score athlete candidates.)

The Class of 2027 inductees are:

Ibtihaj Muhammad OLY (Saber) — Muhammad made history at the 2016 Olympics as the first American woman to compete in a hijab and the first Muslim-American woman to win an Olympic medal, earning bronze with the team saber squad. A five-time Senior World medalist and World Champion, she has become a global ambassador for the sport and an advocate for inclusion.

Carol Hickey PLY (Epee/Foil) — A two-time Paralympian, Hickey was one of the first U.S. wheelchair fencers to medal at a World Championship, earning bronze in women's epee at the 2002 IWAS World Championships. Her excellence helped establish the credibility of U.S. women's parafencing on the international stage.

Anne-Marie Walters (Foil) — A dominant figure in veteran foil with more than 30 years at the top of the sport, Walters has earned 18 selections to USA Veteran World Championship teams, three Veteran World Championship titles and the U.S. No. 1 ranking in three veteran age categories.

Gary Copeland — Copeland founded Northern Colorado Fencers in 1979 and built it into one of the most productive clubs in American history, developing 46 individual national champions over more than 45 years. He was named USOC Fencing Coach of the Year in 1999 and has served as a U.S. National Team coach more than 20 times.

Gerrie Baumgart — A pioneering official, Baumgart was the first U.S. woman to earn an FIE A rating and the first woman to officiate at the Olympic Games, refereeing the gold medal epee team final at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

Sean Shumate PLY — A 2004 Paralympian who became an internationally respected official, Shumate worked four consecutive Paralympic Games and has served as Vice Chair of the USA Fencing Referees' Commission and Chair of the IWAS Rules Commission.

Sally Pechinsky OLY (Foil) — Pechinsky became the first NYU woman to compete on a U.S. Olympic team, representing the United States in women's team foil at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, and was inducted into the NYU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1996.

Steve Kaplan OLY (Saber) — A 1976 Olympian and 1971 NCAA Individual Saber Champion, Kaplan won six U.S. National Saber titles before founding the Cobra Fencing Club and earning the USFCA Fencing Master designation.

The Hall of Fame Committee, chaired by Kamilla Gafurzianova OLY, reviewed an initial list of 47 qualified nominees before setting the final ballot across six categories. Member voting opened May 13, 2026, and closed at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on May 31, 2026.

For the Olympic and Veteran athlete categories, member votes were combined with objective scoring criteria to determine the inductees. The Paralympic athlete, Coach, Contributor and Legacy categories were determined by member vote.

The Class of 2027 will be inducted at the 2027 Summer Nationals, with a ceremony date and time to be announced.For more information about the USA Fencing Hall of Fame, visit our website.