Eli Dershwitz began serving as a Volunteer Assistant Coach of the New York University men’s and women’s fencing teams in October 2023.
In his first season, Dershwitz helped lead the men’s team to a 20-10 record as the Violets were selected United States Fencing Coaches Association (USFCA) Division III Men’s Team of the Year. Four men’s fencers qualified for the NCAA Championships as the
Violets placed 14th in the combined men’s/women’s event, the best finish of any Division III team.
The women’s team posted a 14-20 record.
Many NYU fencers racked up awards from the USFCA after their strong seasons, as the men totaled 10 All-Region and five All-America honors while Adam Wong was chosen Division III Foil Newcomer of the Year. The women’s team collected five All-Region and three All-America accolades.
Dershwitz worked with former assistant coach Aleks Ochocki as a bouting partner and on-strip coach for the saber teams as they prepared for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
A four-time individual Pan-American champion and two-time Olympian, Dershwitz finished 19th individually at the 2016 Rio Games and ninth at the 2021 Tokyo Games.
The 2023 Saber World Champion, the first senior world title in American men’s saber history, Dershwitz is also a four-time National Champion and 12-time North American Cup Champion.
A 2019 graduate of Harvard University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History, Dershwitz won four individual Ivy League titles and two individual NCAA Championships, in addition to helping the Crimson capture two Ivy League team titles. He boasted a career record of 58-2 at the Ivy League Championships and 70-4 at the NCAA Tournament.
Dershwitz served as an assistant coach at Harvard after graduating, helping the men’s team to Ivy League titles in 2020 and 2023. The Crimson won both the men’s and women’s individual saber titles at the NCAA Championships in 2022.
A native of Sherborn, MA, Dershwitz resides in Long Island City, NY.
