Alma Mater: Rutgers University '80
Seasons as Head Coach (including 2021-22): 35th (Men's), 36th (Women's)
NCAA Champions: 6
NCAA All-Americans: 48
Best NCAA Fencing Championship Finish (Combined): 7th (1994)
UAA Men's Fencing Championships: 15 (1988, 1990-03)
UAA Women's Fencing Championships: 10 (1989-92, 1996-00)
UAA Coach of the Year Honors (Combined): 11
Steve Mormando, who has been a member of the New York University coaching staff since the 1981-82 season, has continued to produce successful national-caliber men’s and women’s fencing programs. Selected for induction into the USA Fencing Hall of Fame in 2020, Mormando has completed 34 seasons as NYU women’s head coach and 33 at the helm of the men’s team.
Overall, Mormando’s men’s and women’s squads have combined for 712 total victories. He has led the Violets to 12 top-10 national finishes, as well as 15 men’s University Athletic Association (UAA) Championships (1988, 1990-2003) and 10 UAA women’s titles (1989-92, 1996-2000, 2003). The last UAA Championship was held in 2003.
During his lengthy service on the Violets’ strip, Mormando has produced six NCAA champions, 48 All-Americans (six Academic), 45 UAA titlists, six Intercollegiate Fencing Association (IFA) champions, and 15 NCAA Regional first-place finishers. In addition, Mormando and his assistants combined to earn UAA Coaching Staff of the Year honors on 11 occasions.
The Violets have finished as high as seventh nationally (1993-94) during Mormando’s tenure.
NYU did not compete in 2020-21 due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, 18 members of the men’s team and 12 members of the women’s team earned UAA Winter Sport All-Academic honors.
The 2019-20 season featured several milestones as Mormando exceeded the 700-win plateau for his distinguished career. The women’s team recorded a program-record 18 victories, while the men won 20 (the second-most in team history), including a win over defending National Champion Columbia University. Though the NCAA National Championships were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, four fencers who qualified were still honored as All-Americans: Sam Bekker (epee), Zohaib Mannan (foil), Brian Kim (sabre), and Darren Yen (sabre).
Mormando’s fencers also performed well in the classroom as 12 members of the men’s team and 10 on the women’s side earned UAA Winter Sport All-Academic honors.
The 2018-19 season produced another top-20 national finish for Mormando’s combined squad at the NCAA Championships as the Violets finished in 17th place, highest of all Division III teams. Four fencers qualified for nationals, with Mickey Bak producing the best individual finish (16th place-saber). The men’s squad finished with a 13-12 match record, while the women also produced double-digit victories (14-17).
NYU’s fencers also excelled in the classroom in ’18-19, as 22 earned UAA All-Academic honors.
In 2017-18, the men’s and women’s teams combined for a 12th-place finish at the NCAA Championships, the highest among non-Division I participants. Additionally, Mormando helped guide Mannan and Grant Williams to All-America honors. The men’s team finished with an overall record of 21-9 while the women’s squad ended with a 13-15 mark. A total of 12 men and nine women earned UAA All-Academic honors.
In 2016-17, NYU sent seven fencers to the NCAA Championships and produced two All-Americans: Williams and Philip Shin. Williams tallied 15 wins in saber to place sixth in the weapon a year after landing in 17th place as a freshman. Shin doubled his victory total from the previous year, collecting 12 victories in foil to secure 12th place.
The men's team finished the season with an 18-8 record, including six straight victories to end the campaign. The women's team posted a 13-14 record, including a 5-1 mark at the University of Pennsylvania's Philadelphia Invitational. Mormando led the combined men’s and women’s squads to an 11th-place finish at the NCAA Championships, which was the best overall finish for NYU at the national event since 2005 (ninth place). In addition, 16 fencers earned UAA All-Academic honors.
In 2015-16 Mormando led the men to a 14-8 campaign and the women to a 7-13 record as the combined squad went on to a 13th-place finish at the NCAA Championships.
In 2014-15, the men’s squad finished with an 11-10 record. John Cramerus (epee) and Daniel Sconzo (foil) qualified for the NCAA Championships and both finished 20th in their respective weapons. Their performances helped lift NYU to a 19th-place finish nationally, the highest of any Division III school.
The women’s season was highlighted by the performance of Audra Fox, who led the squad with 31 victories and finished 14th in foil at the NCAA East Regional Championships.
During the 2013-14 season, two of Mormando’s student-athletes qualified for the NCAA Championships. Christian Vastola finished 22nd in foil while Andrew Kelly took 24th in saber. Their combined efforts led NYU to a 23rd-place national finish. The men’s squad recorded victories over Division I Boston College and Wayne State University and also earned a silver medal in saber at the Division I North America Circuit. The women’s team finished the season with six victories, including a win over Wayne State, and received three separate UAA Athlete of the Week honors.
Mormando first joined the NYU men’s fencing program as an assistant coach. He became the women’s head coach from 1982-85, stepped aside for the next four seasons – mainly to train for the Olympics – but remained on staff as an assistant. Mormando, who took over as men’s head coach in 1987-88 and reclaimed the head women’s position prior to the 1989-90 season, has remained in charge of both programs ever since.
Mormando, who qualified as the 1992 United States Olympic Team's top saber fencer, was also elected co-captain of the U.S. Fencing contingent. The Barcelona games marked his third consecutive Olympic selection. He earned the trip to Barcelona largely as a result of the gold medal he won in the individual saber competition at the 1991 Pan American Games. In addition to his Pan American gold, Mormando captured the 1987 U.S. National Saber Championship and has earned 17 U.S. Olympic Festival Championship medals.
In 2005, Mormando won the bronze medal at the Veterans Over-50 World Championships in Tampa, FL. He won the gold medal at the 1998 Nike World Masters' Games in Portland, OR, defeating 1980 Olympic gold medalist Nikolai Alekhine of Belarus 15-12 to win the championship.
Mormando’s competitive career includes 13 United States National Team gold medals to go along with his one gold and four silver medals from the Pan American Games. He made the Olympic Team finals in 1984, finishing sixth, and in 1988, finishing seventh. Mormando placed 12th in the individual saber in 1984 and 16th in 1988. Over the course of U.S. national competitions, he has accumulated a total of 34 medals, including the silver he won in the team competition at the 2003 U.S. Nationals.
A 1980 graduate of Rutgers University with Bachelor of Arts degrees in philosophy and English literature, Mormando earned his Master of Arts degree in sports and fitness management from NYU's School of Education in 1983. He has also been inducted into the Toms River High School, Rutgers University and New Jersey Shore Halls of Fame.
A native of Toms River, NJ, Mormando resides in Dover, NJ.
Mormando’s Year-By-Year Records
Year Men Women UAA (M/W) NCAA (combined)
1981-82 Asst. coach Not on staff
1982-83 Asst. coach 6-11 --
1983-84 Asst. coach 3-13 --
1984-85 Asst. coach N/A* --
1985-86 Asst. coach Asst. coach --
1986-87 Asst. coach Asst. coach --
1987-88 10-4 Asst. coach 1st/2nd 9th
1988-89 11-5 Asst. coach 2nd/1st 6th
1989-90 10-5 14-5 1st/1st 11th
1990-91 13-7 12-6 1st/1st 17th
1991-92 17-4 14-8 1st/1st 8th
1992-93 15-6 6-14 1st/2nd 21st
1993-94 15-5 6-16 1st/2nd 7th
1994-95 17-2 9-9 1st/3rd 8th
1995-96 4-5 3-4 1st/1st 9th
1996-97 12-7 13-4-1 1st/1st 14th
1997-98 11-9 10-10 1st/1st 9th
1998-99 9-9 11-7 1st/1st 11th
1999-00 12-7 9-12 1st/1st 15th
2000-01 11-8 6-13 1st/2nd 15th
2001-02 16-5 11-11 1st/2nd 11th
2002-03 12-7 9-10 1st/1st 12th
2003-04 8-9 11-16 --- 20th
2004-05 11-8 13-8 --- 9th
2005-06 12-9 10-11 --- 14th
2006-07 9-12 8-15 --- 19th
2007-08 12-8 11-12 --- 15th
2008-09 11-10 8-9 --- 15th
2009-10 10-13 10-15 --- 16th
2010-11 8-15 11-14 --- 23rd
2011-12 6-16 12-14 --- 22nd
2012-13 7-16 9-16 --- 18th
2013-14 7-13 6-15 --- 23rd
2014-15 11-10 3-20 --- 19th
2015-16 14-8 7-13 --- 13th
2016-17 18-8 13-14 --- 11th
2017-18 21-9 13-15 --- 12th
2018-19 13-12 14-17 --- 17th
2019-20 20-8 18-14 --- **
2020-21 ---- ---- --- ***
Totals 393-279 (.584) 319-391-1 (.448)
*Records not available for the ’84-85 women’s season
**The 2020 NCAA Championship was not held due to the coronavirus pandemic
***NYU did not compete in 2020-21 due to Covid-19
Note: The final UAA Championship was held during the 2002-03 season
