SACRAMENTO, Calif. – St. Francis senior Anneke Zegers will sign with the Duke fencing program and attend the prestigious school in Durham, N.C., next fall.
"It is a dream come true,” said Zegers. “When I imagined myself going to a college before I started fencing, I always imagined going to a little college where I could learn a lot, but not necessarily a big nationally known school. I feel the sport has opened doors for me because it gave me another push to get into one of the schools everyone talks about.”
Zegers will compete for Duke Head Coach Alex Beguinet, who has led the Blue Devils for over 30 years. He has coached two recent Olympic medalists from his Duke program and trained three women to NCAA titles and 17 overall All-Americans.
“Duke was definitely a great choice for me and fencing was a big push for me,” said Zegers, who competes for the Premier Fencing Academy locally under Kristyan Hristov.
The Fair Oaks native has competed all over the country in fencing competitions since starting in the sport. She placed seventh in Division IA at the 2017 National Championships and won the 2017 Golden State Women’s Open. She also recorded three top-five finishes at North American Cup competitions in 2015.
Zegers will join her sister St. Francis alumna Gabrielle ’17, who finished 13th at the 2018 ACC Championships.
“As a younger sibling, I did not want to go to the same college as my sister at first,” said Anneke. “I felt like it would put me in the same sphere as her. I wanted to make sure it was clear I was my own person and not a younger version of Gabbi. I had nearly crossed Duke off my college list. But I learned from her experience and from the coaches that I do not have follow in her footsteps. I can have my own major and standout out as my own person on the team.”
Zegers plans to double major in English and the Classics with a minor in Creative Writing. She has been writing for The Mandolin, the school newspaper over her four years, and is now the Editor in Chief of the The Mirror, the school’s literary magazine. She is also a member of the Academic Decathlon, Certamen, Latin Club and is the Co-Vice President of Marvel Club.
She practices 4-5 times a week for two-hour sessions and has weekly lessons with her coaches. It is her dedication to the sport that has elevated her to this opportunity at Duke.
“I love so many things about fencing,” said Zegers. “It is so different and you do not find many fencers but it is a bigger community than you might think. What I love most is the thrill of it. There is something special about a sword that people are intrigued by. It is a weapon, but it is also an art that takes patience to learn. It takes a lot of skill and practice. The sport taught me to be a better thinker because I have to think quickly, alter my expectations, and strategize at all times.”
Zegers’ success has led her to selections to the USA Fencing All-American and All-Academic teams each of the last five seasons. She was the two-time SNR Women Saber Bay Cup Season Points Champion (2015-17) and was the USA Fencing Cadet Saber points winner in both 2015-16 and 2017-18.
She will participate in the St. Francis Signing Day Celebration on Nov. 14 including 12 student-athletes from the Class of 2019.