Title IX: Katarzyna Dabrowa, NCAA Champion and Award-Winning Coach
2/28/2023 9:45:00 AM | Fencing, Title IX
Katarzyna Dabrowa had a standout career as an athlete at Ohio State and has continued that success as a coach for the Buckeyes.
She claimed the 2012 NCAA women's epee crown, the first in program history and the second women's individual title for the Scarlet and Gray. The third seed heading into the semifinals, she won 15-8 in her first bout before downing a former NCAA champion from Penn State in the final. She was down 13-11 late but rallied and posted a 15-13 victory.
Dabrowa was a co-captain on the 2012 Buckeye squad that won the NCAA Championship. During her career, she claimed three All-America accolades, with first team honors in 2011 and '12 and a second team nod in 2013. She earned a bronze medal at the 2011 NCAA Championships, tying for third. A three-time First Team All-Midwest Conference honoree, she was part of conference championship squads in 2012 and '13. She earned Top 3 finishes at the conference individual championships and was a first-place finisher at the Midwest Regional.
A three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and Ohio State Scholar Athlete, Dabrowa was a finalist for the prestigious Big Ten Medal of Honor in 2013. She received her bachelor's degree in psychology in 2013 and her master's degree in sport management in 2015 from Ohio State. She worked in the student-athlete services and event management departments as a graduate associate following her collegiate fencing career.
Dabrowa returned to her alma mater as an assistant coach in 2018 and was promoted to associate head coach in October 2021. She was the youngest female assistant coach in NCAA Division I fencing when she was hired. Dabrowa coaches the Buckeye epee squad and guided Oliver Shindler to a NCAA championship in 2019 and Gabriel Feinberg to the 2022 national title. During her tenure, the Buckeyes have claimed a Midwest Fencing Conference overall championship (2019), men's and women's MFC crowns (2020) and Central Collegiate Fencing Conference men's and women's trophies in 2021, '22 and '23. The Buckeyes recorded a sixth-place finish at the 2019 NCAA Championships and placed fifth at the 2022 event with Dabrowa on staff.
In 2022, Dabrowa was selected the USFCA men's team collegiate assistant coach of the year award winner and the CCFC men's team assistant coach of the year. That season, Ohio State qualified the maximum six men and six women to the NCAA Championships and won five of six CCFC squad titles, including all three men's trophies.
Dabrowa, a native of Wroclaw, Poland, also competed on the international level with the Polish Senior National Team (2006-12) and Polish Junior National Team (2003-06). She won gold medals at U20 and U23 European Championships, silver medals at U23 European Championships and U20 World Championships and a bronze at Cadet World Championships. She was a three-time World University Games participant (2008-04)
Prior to her return to Columbus, Dabrowa served as program manager and epee fencing coach for Cannon Fencing Academy in Cincinnati from 2016-17. She also has experience in several different areas of collegiate athletics. Dabrowa spent time out west at Colorado State University as an academic athletic coordinator for the men's basketball program and also worked in the student-athlete development department as an external relations assistant from 2015-2016.
