Rachel Kowalsky

Position:
Epee
Height:
5-9
Class:
Senior
Hometown:
Oyster Bay, N.Y.

Honors: NCAA Qualifier (2024) ... ACC Bronze Medal (2022) ... NCAA Mid-Atlantic/South Regional Qualifier (2022, 2023, 2024, 2025) ... USFCA First Team All-Region (2024) ... All-Region Second Team (2025) ... All-Region Honorable Mention (2023) ... All-ACC Academic Team (2023, 2024, 2025) ... ACC Academic Honor Roll (2022, 2023, 2024) ... USFCA All-Academic Team (2024)

Career: A four-time NCAA regional qualifier who made an NCAA Championship appearance in 2024 ... A three-time all-region honoree (first team - 2024; second team - 2025; honorable mention - 2023) ... Added three All-ACC Academic Team selections (2023, 2024, 2025) ... Captured bronze at the 2022 ACC Championship ... Posted a career 134-101 record ... Placed 22nd at NCAA Championship appearance ... Took 15th, ninth, third and ninth in four regional trips ... During senior season, helped the Blue Devils to a win at No. 1 Harvard by recording the clinching point as Duke won seven of the last eight bouts to register a 15-12 comeback victory.

2025: Qualified for regionals for the fourth consecutive year and earned a ninth-place finish ... Received Second-Team All-Region honors following performance ... Competed in all six regular-season events and posted a 40-26 record … Helped the women’s epee squad to 15 regular-season wins … Recorded an impressive 13 wins at the Philadelphia Invitational … Booked nine triumphs at the Eric Sollee Invitational as well as eight at the Elite Invitational ... During Duke's victory at No. 1 Harvard, capped the Blue Devils' incredible rally and tallied the clinching point as Duke won seven of the last eight bouts to register the 15-12 comeback victory ... Claimed sixth during the individual portion of the ACC Championship ... Earned a place on the All-ACC Academic Team.

2024: Qualified for the NCAA Fencing Championship for the first time in her career and finished 22nd … Competed in all six regular-season events and tallied a 38-23 record … Helped the women’s epee squad to 20 regular-season wins … Tallied 14 wins at the Philadelphia Invitational … Placed third overall at Regionals to earn USFCA First Team All-Region honors … Named to the USFCA All-Academic Team, the All-ACC Academic Team and to the ACC Academic Honor Roll.

2023: Finished the year 36-23 overall during the regular season … Placed sixth at the ACC Championship … Finished the year in ninth at the Regional … earned All-Region honorable mention honors … Named to the All-ACC Academic Team and to the ACC Academic Honor Roll.

2022: Captured a bronze medal during her freshman campaign at the ACC Championship … Qualified for the NCAA Mid-Atlantic/South Region and finished 15th … Went 20-19 during the regular season … Named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll.

Prior to Duke: Comes to Durham from Oyster Bay, N.Y., where she attended Oyster Bay High School … Member of the New York Fencing Academy under Sergey Danilov and also fenced in high school under John Bruckner … Racked up numerous accolades throughout her fencing career and was named captain of her high school fencing team for the 2019-20 season and was named the team's MVP … Tabbed a second team All-American in 2018-19 and also earned first team All-Academic accolades … In 2019, Kowalsky collected a gold medal at the Maccabi Games in Budapest, Hungary in individual epee and earned a gold medal in the team event … Competed in multiple junior Olympic competitions and North American Cups (NAC) from 2017-20 … Lettered four years in tennis and three years in badminton … Member of the National Honor Society and the Science Honor Society, she is an AP Scholar with Distinction and is part of the Oyster Bay High School Academic Hall of Fame.

Personal: Daughter of Keith and Laurie Kowalsky … Has a brother, Kevin, and a sister, Courtney … Courtney played tennis at Brown (2016-2020).