Nova Gregory enters their second season as Vassar's Men's and Women's Fencing Assistant Coach and Recruiting Specialist in 2024.
Gregory has been involved in the program since 2023 as they are heavily involved in the recruitment of prospective student-athletes by extending literature regarding the academic, athletic and extra-curricular opportunities at Vassar. Gregory also helps administer combat lessons in epee and foil fencing to help prepare the student-athletes for all competitions. They coordinate with Head Coach Bruce Gillman to determine roster positions as well as facilitating the weight room attendance.
Gregory also works with the Phoenix Center in Poughkeepsie as an assistant coach and works with epee fencers on their strategies, techniques and tactics for all settings. They also assist the para-fencing program and helped give lessons to several Team USA 2023 members ahead of the World Championships.
Gregory was a head coach at the St. Louis Fencing Club for two years as they introduced the para-fencing program and became the first professionally trained coach in the state of Missouri. Gregory became the first-ever Queer head fencing coach in Missouri history and helped facilitate a LGBTQIA+ friendly training culture by catering clientele of different identities.
Gregory also served as a visiting coach at the Marx Fencing Academy in 2021 and developed their coaching pedagogy with five-time Olympian and internationally renowned fencing master
Michael Marx and Harvard University fencing coach Adam Maczik in the discipline of epee fencing. They also trained fencers who won medals at the 2021 National Championships and instructed future NCAA collegiate student-athletes.
Gregory serves on the United States Fencing Association Hall of Fame Committe and also is a SafeSport and FenceSafe liasion for the Hudson-Berkshire Division.Â
Gregory became the New England Intercollegiate Fencing Champion, Men’s Epee in 2020 and earned a world ranking after representing the United States in international competition in 2022.
As a student-athlete at Vassar, Gregory was a finalist for the Matthew Vassar Outstanding Career Award and Scholar-Athlete Award and earned the 2020 Coach Gillman Award for outstanding service to the Vassar Fencing Team.
Gregory graduated with a degree in Philosophy and English from Vassar in 2021 and earned their Master's Degree in English from Saint Louis University in 2023.
