Since returning to the New York University fencing program as an assistant coach of the men’s & women’s teams prior to the 2007-08 season, Lauren Wunderlich has become an integral part of the Violets’ success.
A former Violet fencer, Wunderlich was inducted into the NYU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016.
NYU did not compete in 2020-21 due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, 18 members of the men’s team and 12 members of the women’s team earned University Athletic Association (UAA) Winter Sport All-Academic honors.
The 2019-20 season featured several milestones as the women’s team recorded a program-record 18 victories, while the men won 20 (the second-most in team history), including a win over defending National Champion Columbia University. Though the NCAA National Championships were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, four fencers who qualified were still honored as All-Americans: Sam Bekker (epee), Zohaib Mannan, Brian Kim, and Darren Yen.
The 2018-19 season produced another top-20 national finish for NYU’s combined squad at the NCAA Championships as the Violets finished in 17th place, highest of all Division III teams. Four fencers qualified for nationals, with Mickey Bak producing the best individual finish (16th place-saber). The men’s squad finished with a 13-12 match record, its fifth-straight winning season, while the women produced double-digit victories (14-17) for the third consecutive season.
In 2017-18, the teams combined for a 12th-place finish at the NCAA Championships, the highest among non-Division I participants for the fourth consecutive season. Additionally, Mannan and Grant Williams earned All-America honors. The men’s team finished with an overall record of 21-9 while the women’s team ended with a 13-15 record.
In 2016-17, the Violets posted an 11th-place finish at the NCAA Championships, the highest among all Division III programs and the best overall performance for NYU at the national event since 2005 (ninth place). NYU sent seven fencers to the NCAA Championships and produced two All-Americans: Williams and Philip Shin. Williams tallied 15 wins in sabre to place sixth in the weapon a year after landing in 17th place as a freshman. Shin doubled his victory total from the previous year, collecting 12 victories in foil to secure 12th place. The men's team finished the season with an 18-8 record, including six straight victories to end the campaign, while the women posted a 13-14 record, including a 5-1 mark at the University of Pennsylvania's Philadelphia Invitational on.
In 2015-16, Wunderlich helped the men to a 14-8 campaign and the women to a 7-13 record. The squad had a 13th-place finish at the NCAA Championship, the highest among all Division III programs.
In 2014-15, the men’s squad finished with an 11-10 record. John Cramerus (epee) and Daniel Sconzo (foil) qualified for the NCAA Championships and both finished 20th in their respective weapons. Their performances lifted NYU to a 19th-place finish nationally, the highest of any Division III school.
The women’s season was highlighted by the performance of Audra Fox, who led the squad with 31 victories and finished 14th in foil at the NCAA East Regional Championships.
The 2013-14 season was another successful campaign for Wunderlich and the Violets, as two student-athletes qualified for the NCAA Fencing Championships. Christian Vastola and Andrew Kelly represented NYU at the NCAA’s, with Vastola finishing 22nd in foil and Kelly placing 24th in saber. Their combined efforts led NYU to a 23rd-place finish in the overall team standings.
The women’s team in ’13-14 finished the season with six dual victories, including a win over Wayne State. Individually, the Violets were able to reel in three separate UAA Athlete of the Week honors.
The 2012-13 campaign was a continuation of the program’s success, as three student-athletes qualified for the NCAA Championships. Phillip Jamesson, Jackie Leval and Kelly combined to help the Violets to an 18th-place finish in the overall team standings, good for second among Division III schools.
During the 2011-12 season, Jamesson finished 13th in foil and the Violets finished 22nd overall at the NCAA Championships.
The 2010-11 season was also a strong one for the Violets. Jamesson represented NYU at the NCAA’s and finished 16th in foil, leading the Violets to 23rd place in the combined men’s and women’s team standings.
In 2009-10, three student-athletes qualified for the NCAA’s. Sam Roukas (saber), Byron Neslund (epee) and Jamesson (foil) represented NYU. The Violets’ combined men’s and women’s teams placed the highest of all Division III squads at the competition, coming in 16th place.
In Wunderlich’s first season, four NYU student-athletes qualified for the NCAA’s, while Roukas placed seventh in saber and earned All-America honors. The team also placed 15th nationally.
A four-year standout performer for the Violets’ fencing team, Wunderlich compiled a 170-54 epee record from 2003-07, which represents the most total victories as well as the best winning percentage for a career in NYU history. She earned Second Team All-America honors by finishing eighth at the 2005 NCAA Fencing Championships. Wunderlich also won the NCAA Northeast Regional epee title that year, capping a season that saw her win a career-best 54 bouts. In addition, she captured the Intercollegiate Fencing Association epee championship as a freshman in 2004.
Still competing in her post-NYU career, Wunderlich was a member of the United States National Fencing Team at the 2010 Senior World Championships in Paris, France.
A 2007 graduate of NYU’s College of Arts and Science with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history, Wunderlich also competed for the 2005 U.S. Senior World Championship squad and the 2007 U.S. World University Games team. She was a 16-time UAA Athlete of the Week, a three-time UAA Winter Sport All-Academic honoree and a recipient of the NYU Student-Athlete Academic Achievement Award in 2007.
A native of Louisville, KY, Wunderlich and her husband Sam, also an assistant coach on the NYU staff, reside in Manhattan.
