Nicole Ross

Nicole Ross
Personal information
Born (1989-01-15) January 15, 1989 (age 35)
New York, United States
Height1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Weight54 kg (119 lb)
Sport
CountryUnited States
SportFencing
WeaponFoil
Handright-handed
ClubNew York Athletic Club
FIE rankingcurrent ranking
Medal record
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2018 Wuxi Team
Silver medal – second place 2017 Leipzig Team
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Budapest Team
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 2019 Lima Team
Silver medal – second place 2015 Toronto Team
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Toronto Individual

Nicole Ross (born January 15, 1989) is an American foil fencer.[1][2] Fencing for the Columbia Lions fencing team, she won the 2010 NCAA individual women's foil title, and was a three time All-American. At the 2012 Summer Olympics she competed in individual women's foil, coming in 25th, while in the team event she and her teammates came in sixth. At the 2018 World Championships, she and her Team USA teammates won the gold medal in the women's team foil event.

She represented the United States in fencing at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo in 2021.

Early and personal life[edit]

Ross was born in Manhattan in New York City, and was raised on the Upper West Side, and is Jewish.[3][4][5][6] Her parents are Aimee and David Ross.[6] She graduated Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School in 2007[6] and then completed a B.A. in Art History from Columbia University in 2013.[7][8][9][10] As of 2022, she is studying for her master’s in psychology at The New School, and hopes to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology.[6][11]

Fencing career[edit]

Team USA (from left: Nzingha Prescod, Sabrina Massialas, Nicole Ross, and Lee Kiefer) in 2015.

Ross took up fencing at the age of 9, inspired by The Princess Bride.[8] She was part of the USA's gold medal-winning 2009 Junior World Championship team in Belfast.[12][13][5]

She fenced for the Columbia Lions fencing team. In 2008, 2009, and 2010, Ross was a first team All-American.[5] She won the NCAA individual women's foil title in 2010.[12]

In 2011, Ross had a kidney ailment, but recovered in time to make Team USA.[14] At the 2012 Summer Olympics, Ross competed in the women's foil, and reached the second round where she was defeated 8–15, and came in 25th in the individual event.[15] In the team event, she and Team USA came in sixth.[6]

Ross won silver medals at the 2015 and 2016 Pan American Fencing Championships, and bronze medals at the 2009 and 2017 Pan American Fencing Championships.[16][17][18][19] She won a gold medal at the 2019 Pan American Games team championship.[13] As of 2017, she credited two-time Olympian Soren Thompson, coach Simon Gershon, and USA Fencing women’s foil coach Buckie Leach for her achievements.[20]

At the 2017 World Championships, Lee Kiefer, Margaret Lu, Nzingha Prescod, and Ross won the silver medal in the women's team foil event. At the 2018 World Championships she and Team USA won the gold medal in team foil, and at the 2019 World Championships they won the bronze medal.[6]

In December 2019 she tore her ACL at a qualifying event.[6] Ross nevertheless competed on the World Cup circuit in January 2020, before undergoing ACL reconstructive surgery in May 2020.[6][11] She fences for the New York Athletic Club, and is coached by Jimmy Moody.[6] She has been the U.S. Fencing Senior National Team Captain since 2012.[7]

She was the head fencing coach at Marymount School of New York in 2012-13, was an assistant coach at Cornell University from 2016–18, and since 2020 has been an assistant coach at Harvard University for the Harvard Crimson fencing team.[6][13][21]

Ross represented the United States in fencing at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo in 2021.[6] She became the 12th fencer in Columbia University history to participate in two or more Olympic Games.[22]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Olympics | Olympic Games, Medals, Results & Latest News". Olympics.com. Archived from the original on July 21, 2012.
  2. ^ "Nicole Ross Bio, Stats, and Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  3. ^ Bloom, Nate. "A fairly comprehensive list of Diaspora Jews at the Tokyo Olympics". jewishstandard.timesofisrael.com.
  4. ^ "SWASHBUCKLING HER WAY TO THE OLYMPICS". www.nypress.com.
  5. ^ a b c "Nicole Ross - Fencing". Columbia University Athletics.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Nicole Ross; Foil Fencing," Team USA.
  7. ^ a b "Nicole Ross - Assistant Coach - Fencing Coaches". Cornell University Athletics.
  8. ^ a b "Fencer – ROSS Nicole – USA – FIE – International Fencing Federation". fie.org. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  9. ^ "AitN: July 30, 2018". Columbia College Today. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  10. ^ "Nicole Ross - Fencing". Columbia University Athletics. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  11. ^ a b Jomantas, Nicole (April 27, 2021). "Road to Tokyo: 21 Questions with Nicole Ross". USA Fencing.
  12. ^ a b "2012 Olympian Nicole Ross To Join Cornell Fencing Staff". Cornell University. September 23, 2016. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  13. ^ a b c "Nicole Ross". USA Fencing.
  14. ^ "Nicole Ross".
  15. ^ "Women's Individual Foil Results". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on August 1, 2012. Retrieved September 11, 2012.
  16. ^ "Result: overal ranking, pools, tablo 64, quarterfinal – Championnats Panaméricains – Santiago – 26.04.15 – FIE – International Fencing Federation". fie.org. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  17. ^ "Result: overal ranking, pools, tablo 64, quarterfinal – Championnats Panaméricains – Panama – 23.06.16 – FIE – International Fencing Federation". fie.org. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  18. ^ "Result: overal ranking, pools, tablo 64, quarterfinal – Championnats Panaméricains – San Salvador – 09.07.09 – FIE – International Fencing Federation". fie.org. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  19. ^ "Result: overal ranking, pools, tablo 64, quarterfinal – Championnats Panaméricains – Montreal – 15.06.17 – FIE – International Fencing Federation". fie.org. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  20. ^ "After Missing The Olympic Team, Fencer Nicole Ross Medaled At 3 Of 3 International Tournaments," Team USA, February 2, 2017.
  21. ^ "Nicole Ross - Volunteer Assistant Coach - Men's Fencing Coaches". Harvard University.
  22. ^ "Three Columbia Fencers to Compete at Tokyo Olympics". Columbia University Athletics. May 27, 2021.

External links[edit]