Ian Sanders joined the New York University men’s and women’s fencing teams as a volunteer assistant coach in December 2022.
In his first season, Sanders helped guide the Violets to a 17th-place finish at the NCAA Championships. The men’s team posted a 14-13 match record (its eighth-straight winning season) while the women went 9-19. Both squads were cited as the United States Fencing Coaches Association (USFCA) Division III Teams of the Year.
Several fencers put together outstanding campaigns in 2022-23. On the men’s side, Ian Adler was named USFCA Division III Epee Athlete of the Year and First Team Division III All-American. Farr Dickson also received both honors in foil, while also adding USFCA Division III Foil Newcomer of the Year accolades. Brian Kim (saber) was also a first Team Division III All-American, while Andrew Sledeski (foil) and Darren Yen (saber) earned Second Team honors.
On the women’s side, Polly Adler (foil), Anna Lanzman (epee) and Maria Stamos (foil) each received USFCA First Team Division III All-America honors while Stamos was also named Division III Foil Athlete of the Year. Sophia Dondisch (epee) was a Second Team All-American and Leeanne Chan received Honorable Mention.
A 2022 NYU graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in International Relations, Sanders was a five-year member of the Violets’ fencing team. He posted a career record of 153-97, compiling the most epee victories and the second-highest total of any weapon in program history.
As a senior, Sanders was the bronze medalist at the NCAA Championships and earned First Team All-America honors. He was selected United States Fencing Coaches Association (USFCA) Epee Athlete of the Year and NCAA Division III Epee Athlete of the Year. Sanders was the Temple Open Epee Champion and was selected to the UAA (University Athletic Association) Presidents Council Scholar-Athlete Team.
A four-time UAA Athlete of the Week and All-Academic honoree, Sanders also qualified for the NCAA National Championships as a freshman and finished 18th. As a sophomore, he totaled a program-record 52 epee victories and was named NYU Male Junior Scholar Athlete of the Year.
Following graduation, Sanders continues to worked as a Research Analyst for Just Capital. As an undergrad, he served as an Intelligence Analyst Intern for The Counterterrorism Group and as a Writer/Editor for the NYU International Relations Society.
A native of Wilton, CT, Sanders resides in Manhattan.
