CF360 BLOG IS BACK – Apologies to all you college fencing fans for some downtime over the past few weeks here at CollegeFencing360.com. We have been busy helping out on sister-site CollegeBaseball360.com, in addition to taking a break for things like work and family. The site will be gearing back up throughout the summer and into the fall – including coverage of the Summer Nationals that start tomorrow (July 3). . . . It's hard to believe that rounghly two-and-a-half months have elapsed since Penn announced the resignation of Dave Micahnik, but we all warmly welcome Andy Ma to the small - but elite - fraternity of college fencing head coaches. CF360 will be compiling a full feature story on Ma (in addition to the promised final tribute to the Micahnik era), complete with insight from those who know Ma best (feel free to send us your suggestions for people to interview).
We are eager to see if Ma can help continue Penn's momentum from the 2009 season. What would it take for him to steadily compile a program that could rise to a national-title contender? Since 1993 (when Columbia took home the title), only one Ivy League school has been the NCAA Combined Fencing champion (Harvard, in '06). During that 16-year span, only four other schools (Penn State 9, Notre Dame 3, Ohio State 2, and St. John's 1) have returned to their campuses as the NCAA fencing team champion. CF360 will be taking an an in-depth look at the Penn fencing program – past, present and future. ...
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By Pete LaFleur (CF360 editor); factual content & quotes provided by Penn sports information
The University of Pennsylvania has hired a new head fencing coach: Andy Ma, a former assistant with the Quakers who has spent the past 15 years as president/head coach at the Fencing Academy of South Jersey. The announcement – formally made by the school on July 1 – came roughly 10 weeks after longtime Penn head coach David Micahnik had announced his retirement, in late April.
Ma's impressive fencing resume includes twice being named national coach of the year ('05 and '08), as selected by the U.S. Olympic Committee in recognition of Ma's work with the U.S. Cadet Sabre Team – a group of elite young fencers that he coached from 2005-08. He two stints as a Penn assistant coach, each during the 35-year Michahnik era. He first was a member of the Quakers staff from 1994-96 and again from 2005-06. Ma also was an assistant coach at Ohio State from 1989-91, roughly a decade before the Buckeyes rose to their current status as one of the nation's elite fencing programs.
During Ma's first tour at Penn, he trained a pair of noteworthy All-Americans in sabreist George Kalmar and foilist Nathan Anderson. Ma also helped develop a Quakers women's team that won the Ivy League women's team championship in 1995 and again in '96.
Andy Ma (photo courtesy of Penn)
The Fencing Academy of South Jersey (located in Cherry Hill) features three facilities. During Ma's tenure, the Academy trained eight members of the U.S. National Fencing Team (five sabreists and three in foil), along with six U.S. national champions and one world champion. Seven of Ma's South Jersey fencers went on to compete at the University of Pennsylvania, along with 13 others that fenced at other Ivy League programs.
Over the past 12 years (dating back to 1997), Ma's fencers have combined to win more than 200 medals (top-3 finishers) at top events spanning the World Championships, the various World Cups, North American Cup events and United States Fencing Association (USFA) competitions.
Prior to his coaching experience in the United States, Ma served from 1985-88 as fencing coach at the Beijing Sports University, where he helped develop his homeland's junior national sabre champion who later competed at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. Ma was China's two-time national sabre champion (in '85 and '88), in addition to twice winning China's Intercollegiate Saber title ('83, '85).
A certified USFA fencing director, Ma earned the USFA's highest competitive rating (“A”) in 1992. He has served as president of the USFA’s South Jersey Division and holds degrees from both Ohio State (masters in sports psychology) and the Beijing Teachers University (B.A. in fencing and physical education."
PENN ATHLETICS DIRECTOR STEVE BILSKY: “We welcome Andy back to Penn, and we are thrilled that he will now lead our fencing programs. His record of achievement is outstanding, especially the physical and emotional development of the young men and women whom he has taught. We expect Andy to continue the long and proud tradition of Penn fencing."
ANDY MA: “I am greatly honored and excited to be the new Penn fencing coach. I am eager to start working with the team and the athletic department. I will use all of my training and energy to continue the excellence of the Penn fencing tradition, and hopefully reach even higher levels of success.”