DURHAM, N.C. – Duke University head fencing coach Alex Beguinet has announced the addition of Slava Zingerman to the coaching staff. Previously a coach at the New York Fencing Academy in Brooklyn, N.Y., Zingerman joins the Blue Devil staff as an assistant coach.

"We are so pleased to have Slava [Zingerman] join our program,” said Beguinet. “He is a dynamic epee coach and has a proven record of coaching fencers to perform to their maximum ability. We really like the fact that he himself was an NCAA athlete during his college career and has an insider's understanding of how college fencing works, the stressors on the fencer of lows and peaks of the season and what a trip to the championships takes from the fencer's side.”

Zingerman comes to Durham after a three-year stint as an epee coach at the New York Fencing Academy where he mentored a number of top fencers at the 2016 Summer Nationals, with his group claiming eight medals and naming two champions. Prior to his tenure at the New York Fencing Academy, Zingerman was also a coach at the Fencers Club in New York, N.Y. (Sept. 2013-2015) and the Manhattan Fencing Center (Sept. 2011-2014).

During his collegiate career at Wayne State University in Detroit, Mich., Zingerman was a four-year letterwinner (2006-10) and became the second athlete in NCAA men's epee history to win three consecutive NCAA titles. He compiled a 69-29 record at the NCAA Championships during his four years and left Wayne State as a four-time All-American, along with being the all-time epee wins leader in school history with a 247-54 overall mark.

In 2016, Zingerman was inducted into the Wayne State Unviersity Athletic Hall of Fame after his dominant success throughout his career.

Zingerman was a member of the Israeli National Team from 2000-09, secured third in the epee world rankings in 2003 and was the bronze medalist at the 2009 Senior World Cup in Tallinn, Estonia. Zingerman is also a member of the United States Fencing Association.

A native of Ashkelon, Israel, Zingerman graduated from Wayne State University in May of 2011 with a bachelor's of science in electrical/electronic engineering.

“Slava [Zingerman] has a kind, gentle demeanor and a great understanding of epee,” Beguinet said. “We are looking forward to watching the epee squads grow and evolve under his tutelage."

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