GRANVILLE, Ohio (April 14, 2022) – Following the conclusion of NCAA Championships, the head coaches of the Central Collegiate Fencing Conference selected honorees for the Men's and Women's Team Head Coach and Assistant Coach of the Year awards, and Denison's Rhys Douglas was selected as the Women's Team Assistant Coach of the Year.

Coach Douglas, serving as the primary sabre team coach with Denison, helped lead the sabre squad to a third-place finish at Central Collegiate Conference Championships, a strong showing considering that none of the competing athletes on the squad had fenced before college.

Individually, Douglas coached sabrist Tessy Udoh to a 64-49 record as well as All-Conference and All-Region recognition. All four Denison women's sabrists qualified for NCAA Regionals.

In addition, the Denison women's sabre squad finished fourth at the Eastern Women's Fencing Conference Championships.

2021-22 was Coach Douglas' second season as Denison's assistant women's fencing coach and the head club fencing coach.

Coach Douglas brings 20 years of fencing experience to the Big Red programs. In that time, he has competed on the international stage in all three weapons. He competed at the highest level in sabre, representing Team USA at the Junior World Championships in 2011. As a student of Vladimir Nazlymov and a member of The Ohio State University men's fencing varsity team, he won the 2012 NCAA Team Championship, was a three-time Midwest Conference team champion, and a three-time individual Midwest Conference champion.

Congratulations to Coach Rhys Douglas on this terrific recognition.