USA Fencing

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — USA Fencing is pleased to welcome Wheaton College, the highly ranked private liberal arts college in Norton, Mass., as the 45th school with an NCAA fencing program.

The Division III Lyons are slated to begin NCAA fencing competition in time for the 2024-25 season.

"We are beyond thrilled to welcome Wheaton College, which joins MIT and Wellesley as New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) members with fencing programs," says USA Fencing CEO Phil Andrews. "But the work is not done. Our team at USA Fencing is committed to supporting Wheaton, in whatever way the college wants, as the Lyons search for their first Head Fencing Coach and begin recruiting young people to study and fence at this wonderful institution in Norton.”

Andrews acknowledges that welcoming Wheaton required the collaboration of visionary leaders at the college as well as the tireless efforts of the Western Fencing Coalition, the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, Northwestern fencing head coach Zach Moss and UC San Diego fencing head coach Juan Ignacio Calderon.

Gavin Viano, Wheaton’s Associate Vice President for Athletics & Strategic Programs, says his institution is thrilled to make men’s fencing and women’s fencing its 24th and 25th varsity athletic programs.

"We would like to thank both USA Fencing as well as several intercollegiate coaches for sharing their expertise with us as we worked towards today's announcement,” he says. “Simply put, our partnership with USA Fencing was integral in taking this opportunity from vision to reality. We are looking forward to beginning the search process for our inaugural head coach and the College is honored for the opportunity to begin welcoming fencing student-athletes from across the nation and from around the globe to our Massachusetts campus in the months and years to come."

Through a partnership with USA Fencing, Wheaton is the recipient of a range of support and guidance that will allow the Lyons to begin their quest to grow a formidable fencing program immediately.

Wheaton is the first college to add an NCAA fencing program since Denison University in the 2019-20 season. But if all goes according to plan, this growth trend will continue.

"Our commitment to the growth of NCAA fencing is not done,” Andrews says. “Working with leaders from the NCAA and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, we're in active talks with other fine institutions across the country about adding fencing programs to their varsity sports lineup. Growth in the competitive landscape for collegiate fencing is good news for anyone who loves this great sport."

Wheaton College will join this impressive lineup of colleges and universities with NCAA fencing programs:

•  Boston College 

•  Brandeis University 

•  Brown University

•  City College of New York (women’s only)

•  Cleveland State University

•  Columbia University

•  Cornell University (women’s only)

•  Denison University (women’s only)

•  Drew University

•  Duke University

•  Fairleigh Dickinson University (women’s only)

•  Harvard University

•  Haverford College

•  Hunter College

•  Johns Hopkins University

•  Lafayette College

•  Lawrence University

•  Long Island University

•  Massachusetts Institute of Technology

•  New Jersey Institute of Technology

•  New York University

•  Northwestern University (women’s only)

•  Ohio State University

•  Pennsylvania State University

•  Princeton University

•  Sacred Heart University

•  St Johns University

•  Stanford University

•  Stevens Institute of Technology

•  Temple University (women’s only)

•  Tufts University (women’s only)

•  United States Air Force Academy

•  University of California, San Diego

•  University of Detroit, Mercy

•  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

•  University of Notre Dame

•  University of Pennsylvania

•  University of the Incarnate Word

•  Vassar College

•  Wagner College (women's only now; will add a men's team in 2023-24 season)

•  Wayne State University

•  Wellesley College (women’s only)

•  Yale University

•  Yeshiva University