Completed Event: Fencing at NCAA Championship on March 20, 2025 , , 12th
/
Final
Fencing
at NCAA Championship
Photo by: Duke Athletics
Duke’s Home Meet Named Beguinet Classic
1/29/2025 9:55:00 AM | Fencing
DURHAM, N.C. – The Duke fencing program's annual home meet will be renamed the Beguinet Classic, in honor of Alex and Elizabeth Beguinet.
"Renaming the Duke Meet to the Beguinet Classic is an incredibly fitting tribute to Alex and Elizabeth," Vice President and Director of Athletics Nina King said. "This meet provides our coaches, staff, and, most importantly, our student-athletes with an incredible experience, reflecting the Beguinets' daily contributions to Duke Fencing and Duke University for nearly four decades. We look forward to hosting this event in their honor annually for years to come."
Alex Beguinet served as the Blue Devils' head coach for 38 years. He guided two NCAA Champions and collected more than 800 wins. He led the men's program to its first ACC Championship in program history in 2018 before the men and women captured team tournament titles in 2021.
Individually, he mentored one of the most successful fencers in NCAA history in three-time NCAA Saber Champion Becca Ward. Ward, who won the bronze medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, reached the NCAA Championship match in each of her four seasons and was inducted into the Duke Athletics Hall of Fame in 2024.
In his time at Duke, the women's program compiled a 388-324 record and produced 21 All-America honors while the men's program posted a 425-260 mark with 42 All-America accolades and one NCAA Champion.
"The Duke meet has always been one of the best college fencing meets of the regular season," head coach Omar Elgeziry said. "It's well organized, unique and provides our team and the visiting teams with a great experience of what a college meet should be. I loved coming to this meet when I worked with other teams because of how meticulous and well-run it was. That's all thanks to Alex and Elizabeth. Renaming it The Beguinet Classic is the least we can do to honor everything they've done to make that event special. Go Duke!"
Elizabeth Beguinet served as the Director of Administration and Recruiting for the Duke fencing program until passing away following a long fight with cancer on December 17, 2022.
She was not just the team's recruiting coordinator, travel coordinator or seamstress for the uniforms, but the confidant, coach and on-campus mom and family for 38 years of Blue Devils.
Away from Duke, she was a team co-manager for the 2006 Junior/Cadet World Championship Team in Taebaek, Korea, and team co-manager for the 2006 Senior World Championships in Turin, Italy. She was also a manager at the 1991 Olympic Festival in Los Angeles. She assumed the position of Associate Director of the US Fencing's Coaching Development Program in 1999, a position she held until the program was dissolved in 2011.
This year, the Beguinet Classic will take place on February 8 inside Duke's Wilson Rec Center.
"Renaming the Duke Meet to the Beguinet Classic is an incredibly fitting tribute to Alex and Elizabeth," Vice President and Director of Athletics Nina King said. "This meet provides our coaches, staff, and, most importantly, our student-athletes with an incredible experience, reflecting the Beguinets' daily contributions to Duke Fencing and Duke University for nearly four decades. We look forward to hosting this event in their honor annually for years to come."
Alex Beguinet served as the Blue Devils' head coach for 38 years. He guided two NCAA Champions and collected more than 800 wins. He led the men's program to its first ACC Championship in program history in 2018 before the men and women captured team tournament titles in 2021.
Individually, he mentored one of the most successful fencers in NCAA history in three-time NCAA Saber Champion Becca Ward. Ward, who won the bronze medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, reached the NCAA Championship match in each of her four seasons and was inducted into the Duke Athletics Hall of Fame in 2024.
In his time at Duke, the women's program compiled a 388-324 record and produced 21 All-America honors while the men's program posted a 425-260 mark with 42 All-America accolades and one NCAA Champion.
"The Duke meet has always been one of the best college fencing meets of the regular season," head coach Omar Elgeziry said. "It's well organized, unique and provides our team and the visiting teams with a great experience of what a college meet should be. I loved coming to this meet when I worked with other teams because of how meticulous and well-run it was. That's all thanks to Alex and Elizabeth. Renaming it The Beguinet Classic is the least we can do to honor everything they've done to make that event special. Go Duke!"
Elizabeth Beguinet served as the Director of Administration and Recruiting for the Duke fencing program until passing away following a long fight with cancer on December 17, 2022.
She was not just the team's recruiting coordinator, travel coordinator or seamstress for the uniforms, but the confidant, coach and on-campus mom and family for 38 years of Blue Devils.
Away from Duke, she was a team co-manager for the 2006 Junior/Cadet World Championship Team in Taebaek, Korea, and team co-manager for the 2006 Senior World Championships in Turin, Italy. She was also a manager at the 1991 Olympic Festival in Los Angeles. She assumed the position of Associate Director of the US Fencing's Coaching Development Program in 1999, a position she held until the program was dissolved in 2011.
This year, the Beguinet Classic will take place on February 8 inside Duke's Wilson Rec Center.
For more information on Duke fencing, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "DukeFEN".
#GoDuke
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