EVANSTON, Ill. (June 10, 2025) – Former long-time Northwestern fencing head coach Laurie Schiller is one of eight members of the USA Fencing Hall of Fame Class of 2026, the organization announced on Tuesday.
Â
Joining Schiller in next year's class will be Kelly Hurley, Race Imboden, Lee Kiefer, Andy Shaw, Jennette Starks-Faulkner, Dagmara Wozniak, and Mariel Zagunis.
Â
During his 38 seasons at the helm of the Wildcats' program, Schiller amassed 1,261 career victories, becoming just the second head coach in the sport's history to surpass the 1,000-win plateau. An 11-time Midwest Fencing Conference Coach of the Year honoree, Schiller piloted the 'Cats to 17 straight top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships, earning a pair of United States Fencing Coaches Association (USFCA) Coach of the Year nods.
Â
Schiller, a 2022 inductee into the Northwestern Athletics Hall of Fame, mentored 33 USFCA All-Americans, including a quartet of four-time honorees. He earned a fencing masters from the USFCA in 2002 and also served on the NCAA Fencing Committee.
Â
A three-year letterwinner during his time as a student-athlete at Rutgers University, Schiller arrived at Northwestern as a graduate student in 1972, where he was awarded a Fulbright-Hays Fellowship in 1976, earning his doctorate in African History in 1982. In addition to his coaching duties, the Brooklyn, N.Y. native also taught history at Northwestern and had a monograph published by the Blue and Gray Education Society on the evolution of the Federal cavalry tactics in the Civil War.
Â
Schiller's contributions to the Northwestern fencing program and lasting impact were highlighted in a recently released episode of The Foundation.
Â
Schiller, along with the entire USA Fencing Hall of Fame Class of 2026, will be honored during the 2026 USA Fencing Summer Nationals.
Â
Joining Schiller in next year's class will be Kelly Hurley, Race Imboden, Lee Kiefer, Andy Shaw, Jennette Starks-Faulkner, Dagmara Wozniak, and Mariel Zagunis.
Â
During his 38 seasons at the helm of the Wildcats' program, Schiller amassed 1,261 career victories, becoming just the second head coach in the sport's history to surpass the 1,000-win plateau. An 11-time Midwest Fencing Conference Coach of the Year honoree, Schiller piloted the 'Cats to 17 straight top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships, earning a pair of United States Fencing Coaches Association (USFCA) Coach of the Year nods.
Â
Schiller, a 2022 inductee into the Northwestern Athletics Hall of Fame, mentored 33 USFCA All-Americans, including a quartet of four-time honorees. He earned a fencing masters from the USFCA in 2002 and also served on the NCAA Fencing Committee.
Â
A three-year letterwinner during his time as a student-athlete at Rutgers University, Schiller arrived at Northwestern as a graduate student in 1972, where he was awarded a Fulbright-Hays Fellowship in 1976, earning his doctorate in African History in 1982. In addition to his coaching duties, the Brooklyn, N.Y. native also taught history at Northwestern and had a monograph published by the Blue and Gray Education Society on the evolution of the Federal cavalry tactics in the Civil War.
Â
Schiller's contributions to the Northwestern fencing program and lasting impact were highlighted in a recently released episode of The Foundation.
Â
Schiller, along with the entire USA Fencing Hall of Fame Class of 2026, will be honored during the 2026 USA Fencing Summer Nationals.