The New York University men's and women's fencing teams have added two new assistant coaches to their staffs.

Ben Bratton will work primarily with the epee fencers, while former Violet Grant Williams will focus on training the saber fencers.

Bratton competed professionally from 2007-20. During that span, he was a member of the United States National Team eight times. Bratton made history when he became the first African-American fencer to win a World Championship title when the United States Men's Epee team took gold at the World Team Championships in 2012. He was also part of the silver medal team at the 2015 Pan American Games and took home an individual bronze medal at the 2017 Pan American Championships.

Bratton won both individual and team gold at the 2017 USA Fencing National Championships.

"Over the past 20 years, Ben Bratton has been one of the most outstanding fencers in NCAA and U.S. Men's Epee," said Head Coach Steve Mormando. "He brings a wealth of competitive experience to the program and will certainly help provide our men's and women's epee fencers with that competitive experience. I have known him for the past 20 years and he excels in both the athletic and the academic advising arenas."

Bratton has been a member of the Team USA Council on Racial and Social Justice for the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee since 2020. The Council aims to address the rules and systems within the Olympic and Paralympic Committee that create barriers to racial progress. He also served as a representative on the Athlete Advisory Council for USA Fencing.
 
A 2007 graduate of St. John's University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology, Bratton was a four-year fencing team member and earned NCAA All-America honors all four years. He also served as a captain for the Red Storm. 
 
In 2012, Bratton founded Fencing 101, an after-school program held in Brooklyn and Harlem charter schools and youth centers. He has also worked as a Branding Strategy Manager for Sabre88, LLC in Newark, NJ, for the past eight years.

"I'm tremendously excited to be joining the Violets' fencing program," Bratton said. "NYU Fencing has a rich and storied tradition that I am proud to be a part of. My goal is to add value to these promising young athletes as a mentor and role model."
 
A native of Queens, NY, Bratton now resides in West Chester, PA.

Grant Williams is a 2020 graduate of NYU's College of Arts and Science with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. He was a four-year member of the fencing team, serving as captain his senior year. Williams holds the Violet record for the best saber win percentage (.775) and total saber wins (152) in program history.

Possessing a great deal of international fencing experience, Williams was named to Team USA's Men's Saber U-20 National Team in 2016. He was also a runner-up for the 2021 U.S. Olympic Team in Tokyo, serving as a reserve on the six-person squad.

"After serving as an Olympic Team backup after missing out by only five points, Grant is certainly a contender for the next three Olympics," Mormando said. "In addition to being very familiar with NYU and NYU Athletics where he excelled, Grant also brings a ton of competitive experience which will benefit both our men's and women's saber fencers."
 
Williams earned NCAA All-America honors in 2017 and 2018. He also was named the NYU Male Freshman of the Year in 2016, NYU Junior Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2018, and NYU Fencing Most Valuable Player in 2016 and 2018. Over the course of his NYU career, Williams was named the University Athletic Association (UAA) Athlete of the Week 14 times.

"I am thrilled to return and have the opportunity to continue to be a part of NYU Fencing," Williams said.
 
Williams, who also worked as an Assistant Coach at the Durkan Fencing Academy in South Hackensack, NJ, from 2018-21, is a native of Atlanta, GA, and resides in Manhattan.