Road To NCAA Championships: Donald Anthony Jr.
11/8/2023 4:21:00 PM | Fencing
Road To NCAA Championships: Donald Anthony, Jr.
Donald Anthony Jr., is an Ivy League champion, an NCAA finalist, silver medalist at the Vet World Championships, former president of USA Fencing, current president of the US Fencing Foundation and an accomplished head coach of the Buckeyes.
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None of it would've happened if it weren't for 'Zorro.'
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Anthony got his start in the sport when he told his mother he wanted to swordfight like they did in the show. She took him to Karamu House, a community center in Cleveland, and thus began his long and decorated fencing career.
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After spending four years at Princeton, where he helped the Tigers win the Ivy League and place fourth in the country in 1979, Anthony thought his career was over because of a severely sprained ankle. That wouldn't be the case, however, as he represented the US National Team for the next 16 years. Anthony still fences today.
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"In football or basketball you compete for 10 to 15 years, and you're done," Anthony said. "In fencing you compete for a much longer time; I still compete. You don't see 60-year-old basketball players playing with the New York Knicks, in fencing you have your top athletes, veterans, kids and everyone trains in the same gym."
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Even though he had no interest in anything but competing, Anthony found himself on the board of USA Fencing, which led him to start working with Ohio State's fencing program in 1997. Just over 20 years later, in 2018, he was named the head coach for the Buckeyes.
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Now in his sixth season Ohio State, Anthony hopes to take the team to its first national title since 2012, at the NCAA in March, which will be held in Columbus. He believes this team has the talent to do it.
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"We definitely have the team," Anthony said. "The question now is making sure they stay healthy and are prepared. I think part of that is mental."
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Part of that mental preparation began last weekend as the Buckeyes traveled to the Western Invite hosted by Air Force in Colorado Springs, Colo.
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Ohio State got its first taste of elite competition as some of the top programs in the nation were in the event, with the Buckeye men finishing 7-1 and the women going 6-1. The women's team defeated second-ranked Columbia with a 17-10 victory, including a 7-2 win in epee and 6-3 win in foil. The men also took down fifth-ranked Harvard with a dominating 18-9 team victory.
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Anthony believes that kind of experience and the stress that comes along with competing against the best teams in the nation is critical to building the team towards where it needs to be for the NCAA Championships. The Buckeyes are also taking advantage of other resources, like sports psychology, to prepare mentally for the road ahead.
"That's always a good training ground," Anthony said. "We started working with a little bit of sports psychology, we have those resources there, and creating that competitive environment here in the gym."
Â
To create that environment, Anthony first recruits for talent, then he looks for a good fit to the culture he's looking to foster in the gym. As far as talent goes, the roster speaks for itself.
Â
The Buckeyes boast multiple Olympic athletes, as well as some that are poised to qualify for the 2024 Olympics in Paris. With that level of skill in practice every day, the younger athletes on the team are given the mold on how to be the next to represent Ohio State on the national and international stage.
Â
"It tells them that 'Yes, you can do it, too,'" Anthony said. "Or at least you're in the company of people who have done it."
Â
The Road to the NCAA Championships isn't an easy one, though. First, you must prove in practice and competition you are deserving of a spot, as each of the three weapons can only have three athletes competing at a time at regular season dual meets. For many squads, that's no easy feat.
Â
"Our men's epee squad is killer," Anthony said. "When they're performing at the level they're capable of, they're one of the best squads in the country. It's very hard to get those spots."
Â
To get as many fencers to the national championships as possible, the Buckeyes will have to perform well and qualify individually at the regional qualifiers which will be held at Wayne State University in Detroit. Anthony says you need to qualify the maximum 12 fencers, two men and two women in each of the three weapons, to be competitive for a national title. The title goes to the team with the highest combined score from both men's and women's teams.
Â
With the Buckeyes hosting the NCAA Championships this season, they will need to channel some of that inner Zorro to hoist the trophy at the end of the season.
Â
Donald Anthony Jr., is an Ivy League champion, an NCAA finalist, silver medalist at the Vet World Championships, former president of USA Fencing, current president of the US Fencing Foundation and an accomplished head coach of the Buckeyes.
Â
None of it would've happened if it weren't for 'Zorro.'
Â
Anthony got his start in the sport when he told his mother he wanted to swordfight like they did in the show. She took him to Karamu House, a community center in Cleveland, and thus began his long and decorated fencing career.
Â
After spending four years at Princeton, where he helped the Tigers win the Ivy League and place fourth in the country in 1979, Anthony thought his career was over because of a severely sprained ankle. That wouldn't be the case, however, as he represented the US National Team for the next 16 years. Anthony still fences today.
Â
"In football or basketball you compete for 10 to 15 years, and you're done," Anthony said. "In fencing you compete for a much longer time; I still compete. You don't see 60-year-old basketball players playing with the New York Knicks, in fencing you have your top athletes, veterans, kids and everyone trains in the same gym."
Â
Even though he had no interest in anything but competing, Anthony found himself on the board of USA Fencing, which led him to start working with Ohio State's fencing program in 1997. Just over 20 years later, in 2018, he was named the head coach for the Buckeyes.
Â
Now in his sixth season Ohio State, Anthony hopes to take the team to its first national title since 2012, at the NCAA in March, which will be held in Columbus. He believes this team has the talent to do it.
Â
"We definitely have the team," Anthony said. "The question now is making sure they stay healthy and are prepared. I think part of that is mental."
Â
Part of that mental preparation began last weekend as the Buckeyes traveled to the Western Invite hosted by Air Force in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Â
Ohio State got its first taste of elite competition as some of the top programs in the nation were in the event, with the Buckeye men finishing 7-1 and the women going 6-1. The women's team defeated second-ranked Columbia with a 17-10 victory, including a 7-2 win in epee and 6-3 win in foil. The men also took down fifth-ranked Harvard with a dominating 18-9 team victory.
Â
Anthony believes that kind of experience and the stress that comes along with competing against the best teams in the nation is critical to building the team towards where it needs to be for the NCAA Championships. The Buckeyes are also taking advantage of other resources, like sports psychology, to prepare mentally for the road ahead.
"That's always a good training ground," Anthony said. "We started working with a little bit of sports psychology, we have those resources there, and creating that competitive environment here in the gym."
Â
To create that environment, Anthony first recruits for talent, then he looks for a good fit to the culture he's looking to foster in the gym. As far as talent goes, the roster speaks for itself.
Â
The Buckeyes boast multiple Olympic athletes, as well as some that are poised to qualify for the 2024 Olympics in Paris. With that level of skill in practice every day, the younger athletes on the team are given the mold on how to be the next to represent Ohio State on the national and international stage.
Â
"It tells them that 'Yes, you can do it, too,'" Anthony said. "Or at least you're in the company of people who have done it."
Â
The Road to the NCAA Championships isn't an easy one, though. First, you must prove in practice and competition you are deserving of a spot, as each of the three weapons can only have three athletes competing at a time at regular season dual meets. For many squads, that's no easy feat.
Â
"Our men's epee squad is killer," Anthony said. "When they're performing at the level they're capable of, they're one of the best squads in the country. It's very hard to get those spots."
Â
To get as many fencers to the national championships as possible, the Buckeyes will have to perform well and qualify individually at the regional qualifiers which will be held at Wayne State University in Detroit. Anthony says you need to qualify the maximum 12 fencers, two men and two women in each of the three weapons, to be competitive for a national title. The title goes to the team with the highest combined score from both men's and women's teams.
Â
With the Buckeyes hosting the NCAA Championships this season, they will need to channel some of that inner Zorro to hoist the trophy at the end of the season.
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