Following an astonishing 15 years as head fencing coach, Jim Carpenter retires. Carpenter has been the most successful fencing coach at Stevens to date, with an astonishing record of 280-159 for the men’s team and 51-61 with the women’s. His reputation continues to precede him, demonstrated by his Olympic accomplishments. According to Stevens’ Official Athletic page, he “earned a top-8 finish at a World Cup event, and was a three-time World Championship competitor” as an athlete himself. As a coach, he helped the United States obtain six Olympic medals. He will be sorely missed in the Stevens community.
Carpenter’s successor will be none other than Daniel Bailey-Yavonditte. Bailey-Yavonditte began his time at Stevens on September 29. He had a very successful career leading up to his commitment as head coach, where he was awarded for “NFHS/NJISAA Girls’ Coach of the Year and the NJIFA Boys’ Coach of the Year during the 2019-20 season.” His prior experience is, in no uncertain terms, limited. He has coached at the high school, club, and collegiate levels. He coached at several locations, including the Newark Academy, West Windsor-Plainsboro South, St. Peter’s Prep, Morristown High School, and more. He led his team to several state tournament bids, along with obtaining consecutive crowns with one team.
We cannot wait to see what wonderful things our new fencing coach has to offer us! He has already led the team to the USA Fencing North American Cup — a strong start as a Duck. Moving forward, their next tournament will be the Coach Nikkie Franke Classic at Temple University on October 25 and 26. We hope to see success for the Ducks in future tournaments. Go Ducks!
