
Photo by: John Quackenbos
Fadner to Retire after 27 Seasons at Fencing's Helm
April 10, 2018 | Fencing
Eagles leader mentored 15 NCAA qualifiers in her years at The Heights
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Head men's and women's fencing coach Sydney Fadner will retire from Boston College effective April 27, William V. Campbell Director of Athletics Martin Jarmond announced on Tuesday.
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"Syd has poured her heart and soul into our fencing program," Jarmond said. "We can't thank her enough for the tremendous impact she had on all of our student-athletes and we wish her well in her future endeavors."
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Fadner has been the head coach at The Heights since 1991 and retires with the third longest tenure among current BC coaches. She is one of only a handful of females in the country who are head coaches of men's varsity programs.
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During her time at The Heights, 15 BC fencers have qualified for the NCAA Championship, with two – Luke Mountain '00 and Renee Bichette '17 – earning All-America honors. Her teams have combined for 16 New England Championship titles – nine men's, four women's and three combined – as well as seven Northeast Fencing Conference regular-season titles.
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Fadner's fencers include Boston College Varsity Club Hall of Fame Inductee Paul Taylor '04, a two-time NCAA Championship qualifier and Boston College's first Rhodes Scholar, and Peter Souders '12, a four-time NCAA qualifier who won a gold medal at the 2015 Pan American Championships. In four seasons of ACC Fencing, Fadner's teams produced three ACC Fencers of the Year, two ACC Postgraduate Scholarships and two All-ACC honorees.
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A 1979 University of Wisconsin graduate, Fadner was named the Northeast Fencing Conference Women's Coach of the Year in 2012, 2015 and 2017. She was instrumental in the creation of the annual Beanpot Fencing Tournament, which featured its 11th year of competition in 2018, and served many years as a member of the NCAA Northeast Region Fencing Committee.
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"Syd has poured her heart and soul into our fencing program," Jarmond said. "We can't thank her enough for the tremendous impact she had on all of our student-athletes and we wish her well in her future endeavors."
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Fadner has been the head coach at The Heights since 1991 and retires with the third longest tenure among current BC coaches. She is one of only a handful of females in the country who are head coaches of men's varsity programs.
Â
During her time at The Heights, 15 BC fencers have qualified for the NCAA Championship, with two – Luke Mountain '00 and Renee Bichette '17 – earning All-America honors. Her teams have combined for 16 New England Championship titles – nine men's, four women's and three combined – as well as seven Northeast Fencing Conference regular-season titles.
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Fadner's fencers include Boston College Varsity Club Hall of Fame Inductee Paul Taylor '04, a two-time NCAA Championship qualifier and Boston College's first Rhodes Scholar, and Peter Souders '12, a four-time NCAA qualifier who won a gold medal at the 2015 Pan American Championships. In four seasons of ACC Fencing, Fadner's teams produced three ACC Fencers of the Year, two ACC Postgraduate Scholarships and two All-ACC honorees.
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A 1979 University of Wisconsin graduate, Fadner was named the Northeast Fencing Conference Women's Coach of the Year in 2012, 2015 and 2017. She was instrumental in the creation of the annual Beanpot Fencing Tournament, which featured its 11th year of competition in 2018, and served many years as a member of the NCAA Northeast Region Fencing Committee.
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