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Stephen Kovacs
Stephen Matias Kovacs (January 4, 1972 – January 15, 2022) was an American saber fencer and fencing coach. He was a three-time NCAA All American for Columbia University, four-time All-Ivy League, and the first fencer to win four consecutive Intercollegiate Fencing Association championships. As a fencing coach, he then coached at the Pingry School, Princeton Junior School, Stevens Institute of Technology, Duke University, Ridge High School, and private fencing clubs including one that he founded. In October 2021 he was arrested and charged with multiple counts of sexual assault, endangering the welfare of a child, and false swearing, and imprisoned in the Somerset County Jail in Somerville, New Jersey. On October 29, 2021, the United States Center for SafeSport temporarily suspended Kovacs, pending an investigation by it of allegations against him. On January 15, 2022, Kovacs committed suicide (aged 50) in Somerset County Jail.
Kovacs' hometown was Hampton, in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, and he later lived in Clifton, in Passaic County and in Watchung in Somerset County. He attended North Hunterdon High School.
In 1989, Kovacs won the United States Fencing Association (USFA) Under-17 saber championship, and in 1990 he won the USFA Under-20 (Junior) saber championship. He was coached at the New York Athletic Club by Vasil Etropolski, the 1983 saber world champion from Bulgaria.
Kovacs then attended Columbia University ('95) in New York City, where he majored in Eastern European History and Economics. There, he fenced for the Columbia Lions fencing team from 1990 to 1994, and was team captain. He overcame a serious fencing injury, after in 1992 suffering a rupture of his Achilles tendon while lunging during a college tournament.
In 1994 he became the first fencer to win four consecutive Intercollegiate Fencing Association championships, and came in fourth in the NCAA Saber Championship; Kovacs was also an NCAA First Team All American in 1991, 1993, and 1994, and was four-time First Team All-Ivy League (in 1991–94). In 1994, when he was 22 years old, The New York Times reported that he was thought to have a good shot at making the 1996 US Olympic fencing team. Columbia presented him with its Outstanding Senior Athlete Award and the George Cointe Award for Sportsmanship and Excellence.
Kovacs was also part of the New York Athletic Club saber team led by Olympians Paul Friedberg and John Friedberg that won the 1993 USFA saber team championship.
Early in his career, Kovacs was a securities trader for Datek/Heartland Securities from 1996 to 1997, Assent LLC from 2008 to 2009, WTS Proprietary Trading Group from 2010 to 2013, and Tradescape/E*TRADE.
From 2007 to 2008, Kovacs taught sixth grade Humanities and began his coaching career by coaching fencing at the Pingry School in the Basking Ridge section of Bernards Township, in Somerset County, New Jersey. He left to work in business on Wall Street.
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Stephen Kovacs
Stephen Matias Kovacs (January 4, 1972 – January 15, 2022) was an American saber fencer and fencing coach. He was a three-time NCAA All American for Columbia University, four-time All-Ivy League, and the first fencer to win four consecutive Intercollegiate Fencing Association championships. As a fencing coach, he then coached at the Pingry School, Princeton Junior School, Stevens Institute of Technology, Duke University, Ridge High School, and private fencing clubs including one that he founded. In October 2021 he was arrested and charged with multiple counts of sexual assault, endangering the welfare of a child, and false swearing, and imprisoned in the Somerset County Jail in Somerville, New Jersey. On October 29, 2021, the United States Center for SafeSport temporarily suspended Kovacs, pending an investigation by it of allegations against him. On January 15, 2022, Kovacs committed suicide (aged 50) in Somerset County Jail.
Kovacs' hometown was Hampton, in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, and he later lived in Clifton, in Passaic County and in Watchung in Somerset County. He attended North Hunterdon High School.
In 1989, Kovacs won the United States Fencing Association (USFA) Under-17 saber championship, and in 1990 he won the USFA Under-20 (Junior) saber championship. He was coached at the New York Athletic Club by Vasil Etropolski, the 1983 saber world champion from Bulgaria.
Kovacs then attended Columbia University ('95) in New York City, where he majored in Eastern European History and Economics. There, he fenced for the Columbia Lions fencing team from 1990 to 1994, and was team captain. He overcame a serious fencing injury, after in 1992 suffering a rupture of his Achilles tendon while lunging during a college tournament.
In 1994 he became the first fencer to win four consecutive Intercollegiate Fencing Association championships, and came in fourth in the NCAA Saber Championship; Kovacs was also an NCAA First Team All American in 1991, 1993, and 1994, and was four-time First Team All-Ivy League (in 1991–94). In 1994, when he was 22 years old, The New York Times reported that he was thought to have a good shot at making the 1996 US Olympic fencing team. Columbia presented him with its Outstanding Senior Athlete Award and the George Cointe Award for Sportsmanship and Excellence.
Kovacs was also part of the New York Athletic Club saber team led by Olympians Paul Friedberg and John Friedberg that won the 1993 USFA saber team championship.
Early in his career, Kovacs was a securities trader for Datek/Heartland Securities from 1996 to 1997, Assent LLC from 2008 to 2009, WTS Proprietary Trading Group from 2010 to 2013, and Tradescape/E*TRADE.
From 2007 to 2008, Kovacs taught sixth grade Humanities and began his coaching career by coaching fencing at the Pingry School in the Basking Ridge section of Bernards Township, in Somerset County, New Jersey. He left to work in business on Wall Street.