I would like to invite you to take a tour around this website to get a picture of MIT’s Women’s and Men’s Varsity Programs. At MIT, exceptional students apply the same passion, drive, and work ethic to athletics that they do to academics in order to reach their complete potential. Intensity and commitment to excellence fill the rosters of MIT's 33 intercollegiate sports, one of the largest athletics programs in the nation.
This website was built with the intention to compile, in one place, all the materials to enable you to become part of a successful Division III athletic program at one of the most prestigious institution in the world. (Please see the Division III philosophy statement).
Receiving MIT’s athletic experience combined with its educational experience is a truly fantastic scholarship that will last a lifetime. Enjoy this visit and don’t hesitate to contact me if you have questions.
Best regards,
Jarek Koniusz
jarek@mit.edu
P.S.
If you find this opportunity exciting, don’t forget to fill out our Recruitment Form. Also, please visit our campus at your convenience - NCAA rules do not limit the number of campus visits. I would be happy to meet and speak with you in person.
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Jarek holds a Master of Science degree from the Academy of Physical Education in Katowice, Poland. He has earned the title of Fencing Master in sabre, epee, and foil. In spring 2002, Jarek was honored by the Polish Fencing Federation with a Lifetime Achievement Award, given to a fencer who has made a lasting contribution to Polish fencing in its 75-year history.
Before coming to the US in 1990, Jarek competed internationally for Poland's national team for nearly two decades, taking two individual medals at the world championships (Bronze in 1981, Silver in 1989) before retiring from the sport. Jarek was coached by Ed Korfanty, the current US Olympic Team Coach who led Mariel Zagunis to two Olympic gold medals (2004 and 2008).
When he came to the US he coached elite sabre fencers for almost 2 years in the New York Fencers Club and New York Athletic Club, among them MIT alumni Jae Sang and George Gonzalez-Rivas .
Jarek has led a successful NCAA Division III fencing program for over since 1993. His students are among the finalists of the NCAA Division I Championships, including Women's Sabre fencer Caroline Purcell (’01), who captured a historic National Championship title for MIT in 2000. Caroline went on to win a gold medal at the Junior Pan-American Games and make the finals of the 2000 Senior World Cup in Boston. Keith Lichten ('95), after a fantastic performance at the NCAA Nationals, captured the first silver medal for MIT in the Men's Epee event. Jarek has qualified 27 fencers to the NCAA National Championship and guided MIT to 17 New England Championships, as well as, to many individual titles during his tenure.
Davis has been an Assistant Coach of the MIT Women’s and Men’s Varsity Fencing Teams since 2009.
Davis has been with the Boston Fencing Club since he started fencing at the age of five. During his twenty years of fencing he compiled an impressive list of accomplishments in men's foil; under-13 national champion, two-time under-fifteen national champion, under-17 national champion, member of the 1997 national team, and the 1995 Pan-Am team, two-time New England Division Champion, Bay State Games champion, NCAA All-American at St. John's University, U-19 North Atlantic Champion, and member of the under-20 and Division 1A national championship men's foil teams.
Tan Trinh (’96) holds a Master of Science degree in Aeronautics & Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Tan has been a coach for the MIT Fencing Team since 1997, after spending four years as a team member.
Both MIT fencing programs feel very fortunate and privileged to have Professor of Physics, Peter Dourmashkin and Jung-Hoon Chun, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, as the team’s faculty mentors.
The role of our faculty mentors is to provide all our fencers with strong academic support so they can feel comfortable pursuing their academic and athletic dreams. Both professors are aware that our fencing programs are comprised of student athletes who are as equally passionate about their academics as their athletics, and that all of them wish to be successful in both.
Both Professors are happy to advise you in many aspects of academic life here at MIT, including:
MIT competes against a wide range of teams - club and varsity, small programs and Division I powerhouses with national championships. Despite this tough competition, we have a strong history of winning individual and team titles at both the regional and national level. Over the course of this last season I've been challenged to maintain consistency as well as excellence in fencing, and in the mean time, improved both my fencing and my general lifestyle more than I could have imagined.
Most of our competitions are in the standard NCAA dual meet format. The men's and women's team compete separately. Each team consists of three squads - foil, epee and saber, and each squad starts three fencers. Each of the three fencers on one team fences each of the three from the other team. Each bout is up to 5 touches or 3 minutes, whichever comes first. There are 9 bouts in each weapon, making a total of 27. The winner is the first team to win 14. We also compete in a couple of standard USFA format meets, with round robin pools followed by a direct elimination bracket. There are also a few tournaments in the postseason with their own special formats.
MIT participates in one individual tournament at the beginning of the season called "The Big One." During the season we participate in about four or five team events and then a couple of post-season tournaments. Tournaments generally take place on weekends. We usually leave early in the morning and return the same night. We frequently travel to local schools like Brandeis or Boston College by van and to farther venues like Brown or Vassar by coach bus (sometimes complete with internet!). We also usually host at least one home meet a season.
No, it's not that difficult. I remember being concerned about this when I was a freshman, but as it turns out, I had nothing to worry about. There are many students at MIT who pursue challenging academic paths and also compete on a varsity sport. Everyone on the fencing team, including the coaches, understands that we are at MIT and that the workload can be considerable. Our coach always reminds us that academics come first. That being said, I find that fencing is a great break from studying, and that I can better focus on my work after a good practice. Fencing at MIT has provided my life here with a good balance. I always look forward to seeing my teammates at practice during the week.
Two weeks after classes start in the fall, we hold tryouts for everyone hoping to join the varsity team, including team members from the previous year. The tryouts last for two weeks and are held during normal practice hours (5-7 PM Monday-Friday), giving people a chance to decide if they want to commit to joining the team. We don't actually fence during this time; instead, we focus on conditioning and footwork to get ready for the season ahead. At the end of tryouts, the team management selects 5-7 people for each of the six squads. Candidates' previous experience with fencing is considered, but potential for improvement and dedication observed during tryouts are also big factors in the decision.
Not necessarily. While most of the team has some competitive experience, it is certainly not a requirement. In fact, I joined the team my freshman year, with no previous experience, and by junior year, I was on the traveling squad. We have even had captains who joined the team with no experience.
All equipment, including team warmups, is provided for the season. Equipment can be borrowed during the off-season as well. All of the individual equipment, as well as reels and scoring boxes, is maintained by the team armorers.
The fencing season goes form late September to late March, with a break in the winter for final exams and the holidays. Normal season practices are 5-7pm every weekday. When the season picks up around February, we have tournaments almost every weekend. As such, we often have practice only four times a week in order to recuperate and catch up on academics.
Our regular practices are held in the fencing room on the second floor of the DuPont building (W32). During season, the team uses the locker rooms on the first floor of DuPont, which are equipped with individual lockers, showers and a sauna for our convenience. We have the privilege of restricted access team locker rooms. Each fencer is issued a locker, and each of us has access to DuPont's towel and laundry services. Athletic clothes used during practice are washed every night and returned the next day. Fencing whites are washed once a week.
