Completed Event: Fencing at NCAA Championship on March 20, 2025 , , 12th
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Final
Fencing
at NCAA Championship
Beguinet Announces Retirement after 38 Years
4/10/2023 4:00:00 PM | Fencing
DURHAM – After 38 seasons at the helm of the Blue Devils, head coach Alex Beguinet has announced his retirement from the Duke fencing program.
One of the most successful and one of the longest tenured fencing coaches in the country with nearly 50 years of coaching experience, Beguinet has been a member of the Duke Athletics staff for nearly four decades.
"It has been the honor of a lifetime to represent Duke University for the past 38 years," Beguinet said. "The memories I have made and the relationships I have built are ones I will forever cherish. As time has passed and Duke and college athletics have changed, the one constant has been the quality of people I have been fortunate enough to be surrounded by throughout my Duke career. To each student-athlete I have had the opportunity to coach over the past three-plus decades, you have made me a better coach and a better person in countless ways. Thank you for bringing energy and keeping me young all these years. It has been amazing to watch each of you grow from 18-year-olds walking onto campus for the first time to college graduates embarking on careers and becoming parents of your own. To every staff member I have crossed paths with, a thank you is not enough, but thank you! To the broader fencing community and Duke community alike, thank you for caring for our sport, myself and my family. Elizabeth, my wife, and I were so proud to forge this wonderful program with Duke. On behalf of Elizabeth and I, sincerely, thank you for the last 38 seasons."
"Congratulations to Coach Alex Beguinet on his storied 38-year career as the head coach of the Duke Fencing program! Alex and Elizabeth were deeply invested in the student-athlete experience and built the premier fencing program in the country due to their dedication, commitment to excellence, and passion. Alex's accomplishments throughout his 38 years at Duke are many, but what is most important, is that every single day he led with class and integrity. We will miss his infectious smile, quiet wisdom, incredible enthusiasm, and his amazing ability to build by hand anything and everything that was needed. We wish Alex all the best in a well-deserved retirement!" – Nina King, Duke's Vice President and Director of Athletics
"For nearly four decades, we have been blessed to have such an amazing friend and colleague in Alex Beguinet. No one at Duke coached his program better and with more pride than Alex. The incredible foundation he set for Duke Fencing has stood the test of time and will continue to do so well into the future." – Mike Krzyzewski, Former Army (1975-80), Duke University (1980-22) and United States National Team Coach (2005-16)
Throughout his 38 seasons in Durham, he coached two NCAA Champions and collected over 800 wins. He helped guide the men's program to its first ACC Championship in program history in 2018 before the men and women captured team tournament titles in 2021.
Beguinet mentored one of the most successful fencers in NCAA history in three-time NCAA Saber Champion Becca Ward. Ward, who won the bronze medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, reached the NCAA Championship match in each of her four seasons. She won the 2009, 2011 and 2012 NCAA titles while finishing as runner-up in 2010.
Beguinet also mentored 2007 Duke graduate Ibtihaj Muhammad. Muhammad, who won bronze in women's team saber at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, was a three-time All-American and finished her college career ranked 15th nationally among senior women's saber.
In his time at Duke, the women's program has compiled a 388-324 record under his direction and produced one three-time NCAA Champion and 21 All-America honors, while the men's program has posted a 425-260 mark with 42 All-America accolades and one NCAA Champion. Beguinet has helped Blue Devil fencers reach the NCAA Fencing Championships in 37 of his 38 years while sending over 100 participants to the national championships.
Beguinet served at US Fencing's annual summer Junior Olympic Training Camps as a staff member for 10 years and as coach for several International Cadet Championships and World Championships. He also participated as a coach at the fencing events for seven Olympic Festivals.
Beguinet was the Director of the US Fencing Association's coaching education program, Coaches College, from 1993 until the program was dissolved in 2011, and was a member of the education staff since the program, held annually at US Olympic Training Centers, was first implemented in 1985.
Born in Toulouse, France, Beguinet received his Master of Arms Degree from the National Sports Institute in Paris in 1976. Beguinet came to Duke after serving eight years as the head fencing coach at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Ore.
Beguinet was the owner/director of Salle La Boessiere in Portland from 1980-84. While there, in addition to coaching for Lewis and Clark College in Portland, he coached at Portland Community College, Clark College in Vancouver, Wash., Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham, Ore., and instructed for the city of Portland's Park Bureau.
#GoDuke
One of the most successful and one of the longest tenured fencing coaches in the country with nearly 50 years of coaching experience, Beguinet has been a member of the Duke Athletics staff for nearly four decades.
"It has been the honor of a lifetime to represent Duke University for the past 38 years," Beguinet said. "The memories I have made and the relationships I have built are ones I will forever cherish. As time has passed and Duke and college athletics have changed, the one constant has been the quality of people I have been fortunate enough to be surrounded by throughout my Duke career. To each student-athlete I have had the opportunity to coach over the past three-plus decades, you have made me a better coach and a better person in countless ways. Thank you for bringing energy and keeping me young all these years. It has been amazing to watch each of you grow from 18-year-olds walking onto campus for the first time to college graduates embarking on careers and becoming parents of your own. To every staff member I have crossed paths with, a thank you is not enough, but thank you! To the broader fencing community and Duke community alike, thank you for caring for our sport, myself and my family. Elizabeth, my wife, and I were so proud to forge this wonderful program with Duke. On behalf of Elizabeth and I, sincerely, thank you for the last 38 seasons."
"Congratulations to Coach Alex Beguinet on his storied 38-year career as the head coach of the Duke Fencing program! Alex and Elizabeth were deeply invested in the student-athlete experience and built the premier fencing program in the country due to their dedication, commitment to excellence, and passion. Alex's accomplishments throughout his 38 years at Duke are many, but what is most important, is that every single day he led with class and integrity. We will miss his infectious smile, quiet wisdom, incredible enthusiasm, and his amazing ability to build by hand anything and everything that was needed. We wish Alex all the best in a well-deserved retirement!" – Nina King, Duke's Vice President and Director of Athletics
"For nearly four decades, we have been blessed to have such an amazing friend and colleague in Alex Beguinet. No one at Duke coached his program better and with more pride than Alex. The incredible foundation he set for Duke Fencing has stood the test of time and will continue to do so well into the future." – Mike Krzyzewski, Former Army (1975-80), Duke University (1980-22) and United States National Team Coach (2005-16)
Throughout his 38 seasons in Durham, he coached two NCAA Champions and collected over 800 wins. He helped guide the men's program to its first ACC Championship in program history in 2018 before the men and women captured team tournament titles in 2021.
Beguinet mentored one of the most successful fencers in NCAA history in three-time NCAA Saber Champion Becca Ward. Ward, who won the bronze medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, reached the NCAA Championship match in each of her four seasons. She won the 2009, 2011 and 2012 NCAA titles while finishing as runner-up in 2010.
Beguinet also mentored 2007 Duke graduate Ibtihaj Muhammad. Muhammad, who won bronze in women's team saber at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, was a three-time All-American and finished her college career ranked 15th nationally among senior women's saber.
In his time at Duke, the women's program has compiled a 388-324 record under his direction and produced one three-time NCAA Champion and 21 All-America honors, while the men's program has posted a 425-260 mark with 42 All-America accolades and one NCAA Champion. Beguinet has helped Blue Devil fencers reach the NCAA Fencing Championships in 37 of his 38 years while sending over 100 participants to the national championships.
Beguinet served at US Fencing's annual summer Junior Olympic Training Camps as a staff member for 10 years and as coach for several International Cadet Championships and World Championships. He also participated as a coach at the fencing events for seven Olympic Festivals.
Beguinet was the Director of the US Fencing Association's coaching education program, Coaches College, from 1993 until the program was dissolved in 2011, and was a member of the education staff since the program, held annually at US Olympic Training Centers, was first implemented in 1985.
Born in Toulouse, France, Beguinet received his Master of Arms Degree from the National Sports Institute in Paris in 1976. Beguinet came to Duke after serving eight years as the head fencing coach at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Ore.
Beguinet was the owner/director of Salle La Boessiere in Portland from 1980-84. While there, in addition to coaching for Lewis and Clark College in Portland, he coached at Portland Community College, Clark College in Vancouver, Wash., Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham, Ore., and instructed for the city of Portland's Park Bureau.
#GoDuke
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