Peter Grandbois was never so happy to reach for a check.
The Big Red fencing coach made a deal with his weapon-wielding, Asian-cuisine-loving athletes: Win the Eastern Womens Fencing Conference (EWFC) Championship on Feb. 16, 2025, in New Jersey, and he would feed their craving.
We promised them a sushi dinner if they won and they did, Grandbois said.
The 2024-25 season was all about delivering on promise.
Grandbois has been steadily building toward this level of success since transitioning from a club sport to a varsity program six years ago.
The Big Reds first-ever triumph at the EWFC the most prestigious tournament for Division III teams was among the highlights in a historic season.
Denison finished the campaign at the top of the Division III coaches poll and first among Division III schools in the Season Performance Index (SPI), a mathematical formula used to rank college fencing programs. The Big Red had never finished first in either ranking prior to this season.
Honestly, I think it shows the amount of potential we’ve always had, said Velma Hall 26, who competes in the foil discipline. It’s a really good feeling to finally be recognized for all the work weve been putting in.
Hall, Corvus Endo 27 (sabre), and Lal Ertun 27 (foil) were named Division III All-Americans by the United States Fencing Coaches Association marking the first time three Denison athletes earned the distinction.
Things are only looking up from here, right?, Endo said. We want to be even better next year.
Corvus Endo was one of three Division III All-Americans to represent Denison.
Its an attitude that permeates the program, a buccaneering spirit that sometimes allows it to punch above its weight when facing Division I opponents. A year after upsetting fifth-ranked Ohio State, the Big Red defeated 11th-ranked Temple in the Schiller Duals on Feb. 1, 2025.
The Big Reds improvement is best gauged by their results in the EWFC tournament. They participated for the first time in 2022, finishing seventh. They placed fifth in 2023 and third in 2024 before topping the 11-team field this year.
Winning that tournament has been our goal since we started, Grandbois said. We’ve been moving every year up the ranks, so it was wonderful to take home that trophy.
Denison not only showcased its talent this season, but also its facilities in winning a bid to host the NCAA Midwest Regionals on March 8.
Because college fencing is not separated by divisions more on that in a moment powerhouse programs like Ohio State, Northwestern, and Notre Dame made the trip to Granville, Ohio and competed at the Mitchell Center. Notre Dame has won the national title four times in the past five years.
In front of their home fans, the Big Red produced four top-10 individual finishes. Endo and Brown were eighth and 10th in sabre, and Hall and Ertun were ninth and 10th in the foil.
Denison scored even higher marks for its ability to host a major event.
It was nerve-wracking because many of these programs are used to going to schools with big budgets, and they expect everything to be right, Grandbois said. The feedback we got was great. They were amazed by the facilities and they thought the tournament was run beautifully.
Media Day was a chance for the Denison fencers to let their en garde down.
Grandbois wants Denison competing for national titles, and momentum is building toward the NCAA creating a separate tournament for Division III teams. The coach believes that would be a boon for recruiting and encourage other small schools to start fencing programs. In 2025, there were 16 Division III womens teams.
Not that long ago, Grandbois had fencers with no previous experience in the sport on his roster. Those days are gone. On the heels of an historic year, hes added six early commitments to the program. Next season, Denison will boast 20 fencers spread across foil, sabre, and epee.
I’m happy with the progress we’ve made, but theres still work to be done, the coach said. We want to be the best team in the country, which is a big ask when competing against Division I programs bringing in scholarship athletes from around the world.
If the Big Red fencers achieve that goal, Grandbois had better raise the limit on his credit card. Sushi dinners arent getting any cheaper.
