HOBOKEN, N.J. (April 6, 2023) – Sophomore Nicholas Smith of the Stevens Institute of Technology men's fencing team was named a Division III Second Team All-American by the United States Fencing Coaches Association, it was announced.

Fifth-year Vaughn Rice earned honorable mention Division III All-America honors at sabre to round out the national recognition.

In its fourth year of existence, the recognitions bring the men's fencing program's all-time total to five.

"I am very excited to see Nick and Vaughn receive this recognition," head coach Jim Carpenter said. "It's great to see the hard work they put in all year pay off."

Smith had a strong second season on Castle Point posting an impressive 43-15 mark in the regular season before helping the Ducks' epee squad take bronze at the MACFA Championship in early March. Statistically, Smith turned in his best performance of the year at the second Drew University Rangers Invitational, posting a 12-2 mark in helping Stevens to a perfect 6-0 record. Additionally, Smith earned a pair of victories against No. 2 Columbia on Nov. 18 in the Ducks' first-ever triumph over the perennial Division I powerhouse.
 
At the Mid-Atlantic Regional, the Martinsville, New Jersey native totaled 14 wins and finished 10th at epee and was one of just three fencers representing Division III to reach the epee finals. Among his wins, Smith defeated fencers from NJIT, Duke, North Carolina and Penn State. In the finals, Smith counted three (of his four wins) victories over fencers that finished sixth or better, including a 5-3 win over Penn State's Avery Townsend, who would go on to capture the bronze medal.

Rice, meanwhile, finished with a 29-14 in his final season on Castle Point, returning from injury to post a winning mark in three of his four events in the second half of the season. Rice was an impressive 12-3 in the MACFA Group "B" vs. Group "C" event and scored five wins at the prestigious Temple Open against some of the top competition in the country. Over the course of his career, Rice has amassed an impressive 148 wins, which ranks among the top 10 in program history. 

Additionally, Smith earned a pair of USFCA All-Region honors. Smith was named Division III All-Mid-Atlantic/South All-Region, while also earning an honorable mention all-region accolade across all NCAA Divisions. There are 12 All-Region selections for each weapon across all NCAA divisions. The first four earned first-team honors, the second earned second-team accolades, while the final four received an honorable mention. Based upon the number of Division III epee fencers, four were recognized specifically, although they were not grouped into any particular placement. Smith was one of just six Division III fencers recognized as all-region student-athletes across the three weapons. Rice was the men's fencing program's first-ever USFCA all-region selection in May of 2020.

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