Sam Wunderlich has served as an assistant coach of the New York University men’s and women’s fencing teams since the 2015-16 season. He is mainly responsible for working with the foilists.
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 (foil), Brian Kim (sabre), 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, Wunderlich helped lead the combined men’s and women’s squads to an 11th-place finish at the NCAA Championships, which was the highest finish among all Division III programs and the best overall finish for NYU at the national event since 2005 (ninth place). Seven fencers competed at 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. The women's team posted a 13-14 record, including a 5-1 mark at the University of Pennsylvania's Philadelphia Invitational.
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.
Prior to his arrival at NYU, Wunderlich served as an assistant coach for Empire United Fencing (2007-11) and as an instructor at the Peter Westbrook Foundation (2005-07).
A 2007 graduate of St. John’s University with a Bachelor of Science degree in the environmental studies program, Wunderlich was a four-year member of the Red Storm’s fencing team. He served as a senior co-captain when St. John’s finished second at the NCAA Championships. An Honorable Mention All-American as a junior, Wunderlich was a member of the St. John’s SAC (Student Athlete Committee) and STAR (Students Teaching Athletes Responsibility), and was given the University’s Athletic Leadership and Volunteer Award.
In addition to his responsibilities at NYU, Wunderlich also works as Chief Information Officer for Paragon Sports.
A native of Louisville, KY, Wunderlich is married to Lauren Willock Wunderlich, a former NYU fencer who also serves as an assistant coach for the Violets. The couple reside in Manhattan.
