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Student-Athlete Check In: Eoin Gronningsater
6/15/2020 1:28:00 PM | Fencing
Student-Athlete Check In: Eoin Gronningsater
DURHAM, N.C. – GoDuke.com recently chatted with recent Duke graduate Eoin Gronningsater to check in with him, look back on his final year with the Blue Devils that was cut short due to COVID-19 and reflect on his time at Duke.
Where are you now?
"I am currently back home in Brooklyn, N.Y. Although the city was quite ominous for some time, it's starting to feel like life is coming back to the city which is special and reassuring!"
What was your favorite memory from the 2020 season?
"My favorite memory from the 2020 season was learning how successful Fence 4 The Fight was. Fence 4 the Fight was something that the entire team rallied behind, and to see so many people contribute and get involved in a fundraiser that was really important to us meant a lot to our team and community."
What was your favorite memory from your time at Duke?
"It is so hard to pinpoint one memory as my favorite memory at Duke. That said, if I had to I think you might be able to guess it ... winning the 2018 ACC championship was surreal. I remember a few minutes before we won, when it started to look like we were too far ahead to be caught, that it really hit me. We knocked off the defending NCAA champions, and it wasn't even close. It really showed me what can be accomplished when a team comes together and rallies behind a common goal."
What do you miss most about being at Duke?
"What I miss most about being at Duke is the community. At Duke, I always felt at home, and I always felt like there was someone looking out for me. I always strived to represent Duke in the best possible light because I knew that everyone at Duke was looking out for me."
What are your next steps since you've graduated?
"Since I graduated, I have started training for Teach For America in New York City, and I will be teaching next fall. Although I haven't been placed yet as a result of COVID, my hope is to be teaching kindergarten through second graders! I'm so excited to get into the classroom in the fall!"
What is something you hope the team took away from you being a captain?
"One thing that I hope the team took away from me being a captain is that success is not a fluke. Success is a byproduct of hard work, dedication, and commitment day in and day out. To be successful at the highest level, we have to stay grounded and focused on a day-to-day basis. At the end of the day, like Alex always said, champions are not made at the tournament, champions are made at practice. I hope my teammates remember to be there for each other, and most of all, to never stop loving the sport!"
The 2020 season was another one for Gronningsater to remember as he continued to leave his mark as one of Duke's best fencers in program history.
This season, Gronningsater was honored with a NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship as well as a 2020 Weaver-James-Corrigan Postgraduate Scholarship Award recipient from the Atlantic Coast Conference. He was also named the 2020 Duke Male Senior Student-Athlete of the Year and the 2020 ACC Men's Fencing Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Additionally, Gronningsater was named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), Academic All-District III Men's At-Large team.
He qualified for the NCAA Fencing Championships for the fourth time and collected All-America honors for his efforts.
Off the strip, Gronningsater also teamed with fellow captain Lindsay Sapienza to create the 'Fence for the Fight' campaign in partnership with the Duke Cancer Institute in support of the Director of Administration/Recruiting for the fencing team, Elizabeth Beguinet, in her fight against breast cancer.
With 1,215 program wins during the 2020 season in combination with pledging from donors, the 'Fence for the Fight' campaign totaled $30,144.55. The duo was honored by the ACC with the league's Top Six for Service Award.
For more information on Duke fencing, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "DukeFEN".
#GoDuke
Where are you now?
"I am currently back home in Brooklyn, N.Y. Although the city was quite ominous for some time, it's starting to feel like life is coming back to the city which is special and reassuring!"
What was your favorite memory from the 2020 season?
"My favorite memory from the 2020 season was learning how successful Fence 4 The Fight was. Fence 4 the Fight was something that the entire team rallied behind, and to see so many people contribute and get involved in a fundraiser that was really important to us meant a lot to our team and community."
What was your favorite memory from your time at Duke?
"It is so hard to pinpoint one memory as my favorite memory at Duke. That said, if I had to I think you might be able to guess it ... winning the 2018 ACC championship was surreal. I remember a few minutes before we won, when it started to look like we were too far ahead to be caught, that it really hit me. We knocked off the defending NCAA champions, and it wasn't even close. It really showed me what can be accomplished when a team comes together and rallies behind a common goal."
What do you miss most about being at Duke?
"What I miss most about being at Duke is the community. At Duke, I always felt at home, and I always felt like there was someone looking out for me. I always strived to represent Duke in the best possible light because I knew that everyone at Duke was looking out for me."
What are your next steps since you've graduated?
"Since I graduated, I have started training for Teach For America in New York City, and I will be teaching next fall. Although I haven't been placed yet as a result of COVID, my hope is to be teaching kindergarten through second graders! I'm so excited to get into the classroom in the fall!"
What is something you hope the team took away from you being a captain?
"One thing that I hope the team took away from me being a captain is that success is not a fluke. Success is a byproduct of hard work, dedication, and commitment day in and day out. To be successful at the highest level, we have to stay grounded and focused on a day-to-day basis. At the end of the day, like Alex always said, champions are not made at the tournament, champions are made at practice. I hope my teammates remember to be there for each other, and most of all, to never stop loving the sport!"
The 2020 season was another one for Gronningsater to remember as he continued to leave his mark as one of Duke's best fencers in program history.
This season, Gronningsater was honored with a NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship as well as a 2020 Weaver-James-Corrigan Postgraduate Scholarship Award recipient from the Atlantic Coast Conference. He was also named the 2020 Duke Male Senior Student-Athlete of the Year and the 2020 ACC Men's Fencing Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Additionally, Gronningsater was named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), Academic All-District III Men's At-Large team.
He qualified for the NCAA Fencing Championships for the fourth time and collected All-America honors for his efforts.
Off the strip, Gronningsater also teamed with fellow captain Lindsay Sapienza to create the 'Fence for the Fight' campaign in partnership with the Duke Cancer Institute in support of the Director of Administration/Recruiting for the fencing team, Elizabeth Beguinet, in her fight against breast cancer.
With 1,215 program wins during the 2020 season in combination with pledging from donors, the 'Fence for the Fight' campaign totaled $30,144.55. The duo was honored by the ACC with the league's Top Six for Service Award.
For more information on Duke fencing, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "DukeFEN".
#GoDuke
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