A new chapter of Denison athletics is underway, as the Big Red men's fencing program takes the strip for its inaugural varsity season in 2026-27. With a 15-member roster led by nine first-years and a debut weekend that produced two top-four finishes, the program has already begun setting its own standard.
Building a Program
Announced in January 2026, men's fencing became Denison's 28th varsity sport and joins the women's program in the Central Collegiate Fencing Conference. The men share a coaching staff with the women, led by head coach
Peter Grandbois, the 2024-25 USFCA Division III Women's Team Head Coach of the Year, and assistant coach
Willem Joseph. The new team builds on the foundation of a women's program that rose from club status to the No. 1 ranking in Division III.
Program Debut
The Big Red opened their first season Oct. 3-4 at the OSU Open and Duals in Columbus. In the program's first-ever tournament, junior
Mark Rifkind placed third in foil and first-year
Stanton Hernandez tied for third in sabre, and Denison totaled seven top-15 finishes across the three weapons.
In Sunday's duals, the Big Red earned the first team win in program history, an 18-9 victory over Army West Point, and dropped a pair of one-touch decisions to Division I Cleveland State (14-13) and Purdue Club (14-13). Rifkind led the team at 10-2, including a sweep of the Ohio State and Cleveland State starters. Grandbois said the team fought with everything it had and showed it "will be a force in the future."
Meet the Roster
Foil is the program's deepest weapon, with seven fencers. Rifkind leads the group after his podium finish and 10-2 dual record, and first-year
Oliver Gonzalez followed with a 13th-place Open finish and a 9-6 record in the duals. Senior
Matthew Hrehocik, the program's lone senior, junior
Miles Boyko, sophomore
Ezra Mundy and first-years
Igor Cherednichenko and
Justin Tibbetts round out the squad.
In sabre, Hernandez is joined by first-year
Max Radjabli, who placed 10th at the Open and led the sabre squad with a 9-5 dual record, and juniors
Ashwath Pratheep (13th) and
Daniel Leon. The all-first-year epee squad features
Benno Müller (10th at the Open),
Brian Lehner (13th, 6-9 in duals),
Avi Patel and Vu (Jackson) McMillan.
Newcomers
Denison's first recruiting class includes nine first-years: foilists
Igor Cherednichenko (Westerville, Ohio),
Oliver Gonzalez (Miami, Fla.) and
Justin Tibbetts (Barrington, R.I.); epeeists
Brian Lehner (Arlington Heights, Ill.), Vu (Jackson) McMillan (Acton, Mass.), Benno Müller (Rosrath, Germany) and
Avi Patel (San Antonio, Texas); and sabreists
Stanton Hernandez (Chicago, Ill.) and
Max Radjabli (San Diego, Calif.).
A Look at the Schedule
