Photo by: Stephen Carrera
Laurie Schiller To Be Inducted Into USA Fencing Hall Of Fame
6/10/2025 12:00:00 PM | Women's Fencing
Former Northwestern head coach is one of eight inductees to Class of 2026
EVANSTON, Ill. (June 10, 2025) – Former long-time Northwestern fencing head coach Laurie Schiller is one of eight members of the USA Fencing Hall of Fame Class of 2026, the organization announced on Tuesday.
Joining Schiller in next year's class will be Kelly Hurley, Race Imboden, Lee Kiefer, Andy Shaw, Jennette Starks-Faulkner, Dagmara Wozniak, and Mariel Zagunis.
During his 38 seasons at the helm of the Wildcats' program, Schiller amassed 1,261 career victories, becoming just the second head coach in the sport's history to surpass the 1,000-win plateau. An 11-time Midwest Fencing Conference Coach of the Year honoree, Schiller piloted the 'Cats to 17 straight top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships, earning a pair of United States Fencing Coaches Association (USFCA) Coach of the Year nods.
Schiller, a 2022 inductee into the Northwestern Athletics Hall of Fame, mentored 33 USFCA All-Americans, including a quartet of four-time honorees. He earned a fencing masters from the USFCA in 2002 and also served on the NCAA Fencing Committee.
A three-year letterwinner during his time as a student-athlete at Rutgers University, Schiller arrived at Northwestern as a graduate student in 1972, where he was awarded a Fulbright-Hays Fellowship in 1976, earning his doctorate in African History in 1982. In addition to his coaching duties, the Brooklyn, N.Y. native also taught history at Northwestern and had a monograph published by the Blue and Gray Education Society on the evolution of the Federal cavalry tactics in the Civil War.
Schiller's contributions to the Northwestern fencing program and lasting impact were highlighted in a recently released episode of The Foundation.
Schiller, along with the entire USA Fencing Hall of Fame Class of 2026, will be honored during the 2026 USA Fencing Summer Nationals.
Joining Schiller in next year's class will be Kelly Hurley, Race Imboden, Lee Kiefer, Andy Shaw, Jennette Starks-Faulkner, Dagmara Wozniak, and Mariel Zagunis.
During his 38 seasons at the helm of the Wildcats' program, Schiller amassed 1,261 career victories, becoming just the second head coach in the sport's history to surpass the 1,000-win plateau. An 11-time Midwest Fencing Conference Coach of the Year honoree, Schiller piloted the 'Cats to 17 straight top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships, earning a pair of United States Fencing Coaches Association (USFCA) Coach of the Year nods.
Schiller, a 2022 inductee into the Northwestern Athletics Hall of Fame, mentored 33 USFCA All-Americans, including a quartet of four-time honorees. He earned a fencing masters from the USFCA in 2002 and also served on the NCAA Fencing Committee.
A three-year letterwinner during his time as a student-athlete at Rutgers University, Schiller arrived at Northwestern as a graduate student in 1972, where he was awarded a Fulbright-Hays Fellowship in 1976, earning his doctorate in African History in 1982. In addition to his coaching duties, the Brooklyn, N.Y. native also taught history at Northwestern and had a monograph published by the Blue and Gray Education Society on the evolution of the Federal cavalry tactics in the Civil War.
Schiller's contributions to the Northwestern fencing program and lasting impact were highlighted in a recently released episode of The Foundation.
Schiller, along with the entire USA Fencing Hall of Fame Class of 2026, will be honored during the 2026 USA Fencing Summer Nationals.
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