Randall LeMaster has been involved with the University of Pennsylvania men's and women's fencing programs since the 2010-11 season. He took on the title of Director of Fencing Operations for the Quakers in 2016-17.
Following a COVID-cancelled 2020-21 season, in 2021-22 Emon Daroian earned his second career first-team All-America selection. In 2019-20, Daroian earned his first All-America selection, joining fellow first-teamers Vanessa Dib and Jessica Liang (women's epee), and fellow All-Americans Eliot Herbst (Second-team men's epee), Michael Li (Second-team men's foil), Xiteng Lin (Second-team men's sabre), Grace Hao (Honorable mention women's foil), and Raymond Zhao (Honorable mention men's sabre).
2017-18 marked the third straight Ivy League title for the men's team, with Justin Yoo (epee), Jake Raynis (epee), WIllie Upbin (foil), and Julian Merchant (sabre) all earning First-Team All-Ivy merit.
Individually, Justin Yoo led the way for the men's squad in 2016-17. The sophomore was one of two first-team All-Ivy honorees (John Vaiani) while also finishing runner-up at the NCAA Championships in Indianapolis.
In addition to the men's second-straight Ivy title, the 2016-17 season saw the rise of a women's program on the precipice of history. The team put together a 25-9 dual-match record, a third-place Ivy effort, and a trio of individual All-America selections, all freshmen -- Sara Papp, Danielle Ferdon and Nicole Vaiani.
It was a historic 2015-16 for Coach LeMaster and the Quakers, as he helped lead the men's squad to the program's first Ivy League team title since 2009. In addition, the Quakers tallied a program-best 28 wins and rose to No. 1 in the national rankings for the first time in school history.
On the women's side, the Quakers posted 19 victories in 2015-16 and placed fourth at the 2016 Ivy League Championships. To go along with the team accolades, the Quakers also totaled four All-America selections, including the Ivy League champion on men's saber (Shaul Gordon) and the conference champ on women's epee (Alejandra Trumble).
Both the men's and women's teams grew by leaps and bounds in 2011-12. On the men's side, a 16-0 start to the year left the Quakers as the last undefeated team in the nation. The team eventually finished at 19-5 and as champions of the U.S. Collegiate Weapon Squad Championships for the second year in a row. The women's team came in at 14-7 for the season and featured freshman Luona Wang, who advanced all the way to the national title bout in foil, ending her first year at Penn as the national runner-up in the weapon. All told, 10 fencers advanced to the national event and the Quakers ended the year in seventh place with six earning All-American honors.
In his first season with the Red and Blue, LeMaster helped a pair of young squads improve, as the men went 18-4 and the women finished 14-8 in dual meets. Despite starting just three seniors between the two squads, the Quakers finished third and fourth at the Ivy League Championships. Penn also had nine fencers reach the NCAA Championships, highlighted by four All-Americans.
LeMaster came to Philadelphia from Ft. Myers, Florida, were he served as owner and manager of Salle de Napoli, a fencing training facility in Ft. Myers, since 2006. During his four years at Salle, his pupils were regular fixtures among the top 16 at the North American Cup while several received national rankings. LeMaster holds a director's rating in epee, foil and saber. He honed his skills as a fencer under the tutelage of Michael Morgan, who has over 50 years of fencing experience and was a long-time student of Maîtres Lajos Csiszar and Bella De Tuscan.
LeMaster previously spent time at Penn during the summers of 2005, 2005 and 2010, when he worked as a dorm advisor and coach for the Penn Fencing Camp. Working the camp, he assisted coaching in training and conditioning for all three weapons. In 2010, he taught Epee with group and individual instruction for over 20 students.
LeMaster began his coaching career at the Ft. Myers Fencing Club in 1999. Prior to coaching, LeMaster served in the Navy, and following his honorable discharge worked as a technician and manager with one of the nation's leading installers of home and business automation.
