WSN:  Welcome back to ‘In the Huddle,’ a podcast by the Washington Square News. I’m Kiran, sports editor at WSN, and here with me today is Sophia Dondisch, senior captain on the women’s fencing team. She’s currently fourth in epee victories in the program’s all-time record book. Thank you for joining me, Sophia.

Dondisch:  Hi, thank you for having me.

WSN:  Of course. Now, before I get into your career at NYU, I’d love to talk about your recruitment process. What was it like when you were in your sophomore, junior years, looking at programs all around the country, and how did you land at NYU?

Dondisch:  I had a very different experience because it was in the middle of COVID. I wasn’t able to go to a lot of competitions because they were all cancelled. I really loved NYU because of Tisch. It was for me, the perfect mix of what I wanted. The recruitment process and Tisch specifically don’t align, so if you wanna get into Tisch, you still have to do the typical audition.  They don’t even know that you’re an athlete that’s getting recruited, and then you have to get accepted on your own terms, and so I did the audition process. Thankfully, whatever God was, you know, with me that day got me in. I really just loved the program. I love New York and it was just a perfect mix for me.

WSN:  And obviously, NYU is very lucky to have you. Like I said before, you’re fourth in all time career epee victories, you’re about 14 wins off of third place. How do you feel knowing you’ve made such a huge impact, with still more time to go?

Dondisch:  It makes me very glad to have made an impact on the team, especially because there have been so many incredible people that have come through this program, and so having that also being me is really incredible. It’s not something that I expected to happen, so it’s awesome. I also think that, as much as it is about the wins, and where you are on the roster, and your seed and whatever, I just think that being with the team itself, and the people that are on it is what makes it the most special, in my opinion, and what makes it the most worth it.

WSN:  And this year you are a senior captain. Talk to me about your role on the team in that aspect.

Dondisch:  Yeah. This is my second year as captain. I started my junior year. It has been incredible. I came into the team my freshman year having an amazing captain — her name is Anna Lanzman, and she really was the one that started teaching me what it meant to be a good captain. And I really just took everything that she taught me and started doing it myself. I really love being able to work so closely with [head coach Ben Bratton] as well, and I get to have my girls, and I love my squad.

WSN:  Now, NYU is hosting the George Kolombatovich Historical Meet this year. Last year you went 5-4.  What are you hoping for this year, and how does it feel knowing that this is also your Senior Night, your last home meet in front of NYU’s crowd?

Dondisch:  I think it’s gonna be a blast. We’ve done really well at our home meets in the past, and I expect that same outcome — or better — to happen this time around. I also think the energy is what helps a lot as well. When people come in and support, it’s so special. Fencing is a really small sport. And, you know, a lot of people don’t even realize that we have a home meet. So whenever anyone comes and whenever there’s a huge crowd, it’s so exciting for everyone.

 Being a senior this time around, it’s so bittersweet, because since freshman year we’ve had this meet, and I’ve seen these seniors be honored and, you know, I’m always sitting on the sidelines watching them, cheering them on, and it’s a really sad moment sometimes, because I have to say bye to some people. But being on the other side of this is so crazy to me. It’s so weird.

WSN:  And after that you take on the NCAA Regionals. What is the team’s training schedule like as that competition draws closer and closer?

Dondisch:  The training schedule for regionals is honestly the same that it’s been the whole year. We start this season already talking about regionals and championships, so this entire year, since September, we’ve been training really hard. We have a new epee coach. His name is Yarik [Ponomarenko]. He has been an incredible addition to the team. He really pushes all of us and he cares so much about all of us and doing well. I personally have never had a coach like him. The passion that they put into this team — and Yarik really pushes us — is just crazy. Like, there’s no other word to describe it. I have really high hopes that this year, regionals is gonna turn out really well for all of us. It’s a hard training schedule. But it clearly has been paying off.

WSN:  Of course. And speaking of that payoff, earlier this year, for the first time in program history, the women’s fencing team beat Harvard, and the epee squad went 8-1, which was an incredible performance. Talk me through that meet, and what it was like after for the whole squad. 

Dondisch:  Yeah. I mean, that meet was historical. Crazy, wonderful, so exciting. You know, we go against Harvard every year. It’s even streamed on ESPN, so it’s always, it’s always been a big deal for us.  But when we were at that meet, the energy was so high and we really just put everything we had in it. I was standing the whole time, I don’t think I sat down once, like we were going the whole time. And after that last touch, I mean it was 13-13 and we needed to get to 14 in the last round. And so Katherine Chen, who was the fencer for that last bout, she fenced, and she got that point.

 And I was literally seeing in black and white, like, you know, when you’re screaming so loud and you’re about to pass out, everything’s like water basically. That was my experience. I was so excited. I wish I could tell you that, you know, the meet ended and we went out and partied, and had a great time and celebrated. But honestly, we had a meet the next day and we were so tired. And did pretty well that day too. So it was, it’s a really great weekend for us.

WSN:  Fencing is kind of a year-round sport for college athletes, and club fencing is a huge part of that. Are you part of an athletic club here for fencing? 

Dondisch: I have a club back home that I train at whenever I go home.  That would be considered my main club. And then I’m part of a club here in the city that a lot of us go train at. The one here is called FC — Fencers Club — it’s in Midtown. And a lot of us will have practice all day, lift, classes, and then we’ll go train at the club. And then when I go home, I’m part of a club called Olympic Fencers Club in Washington state. 

WSN: In the summer, are you planning to stick with the Olympic, or stay in New York and train here? 

Dondisch: I’m gonna stay in New York and continue training here. I love this city.

WSN:  That sounds great. Is there anything else you want to reflect on as your senior year draws to close?

Dondisch:  When I was getting recruited, you know, you have a conversation with the coach and they ask you what major you want to be in. And when I said I wanted to be a drama major or theater major, every single one of them were like, ‘that’s not gonna be possible.’

 Ever since then, I’ve always gone back to that and been like, ‘You know what, I’m gonna be that girl that graduates with a political science major, a drama major and was captain of the NYU fencing team.’ 

WSN: Incredible.

Dondisch: That’s something I’m really looking forward to — getting that stamp of like, ‘Look at this.’  I would like to give myself a pat on the back for surviving this, and this also would not have been possible without all my teammates and my coach really having my back.

Props and shout out to Ben Bratton, our head coach, because he’s not a drama person, he’s not a theater person. And it’s really hard for people who aren’t living that type of life or getting their BFA to really understand the true time commitment and how much it really takes out of you.

For all four years that I have been at NYU and working alongside him and, you know, getting coached by him, he has been the most encouraging and understanding coach, that I don’t think I would’ve gotten anywhere else. I wouldn’t be able to be on this team if it weren’t for him.

WSN:  That’s a lovely note to end off on. Congratulations on an incredible career.

Dondisch: Thank you. 

WSN:  And good luck with the rest of the season.

Dondisch: Thank you. 

Contact Kiran Komanduri at [email protected].