Division I Men’s Saber National Championship to Be Named for Late Fencing Legend Peter Westbrook OLY
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by Bryan Wendell
The new name, which will debut at the 2025 Division I National Championships in April, honors the six-time Olympian who won the Division I Men’s Saber national title a record 13 times.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — In a tribute to one of the most decorated fencers in American history, USA Fencing has announced that the Division I Men’s Saber National Championship will bear the name of the late Peter Westbrook OLY — a six-time Olympian and the first Black and Asian American fencer to win the U.S. men’s saber national title.
Westbrook, who died in November 2024, will forever be an iconic figure in the sport, celebrated both for his dominance on the strip and for his pioneering efforts to expand fencing’s reach in underrepresented communities.
He captured the Division I Men’s Saber championship a record 13 times, including eight consecutive titles between 1979 and 1986. At the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, Westbrook made history again, securing a bronze medal and becoming the first African American and Asian American athlete to win an Olympic fencing medal.
“It was vital to us that Peter Westbrook’s extraordinary legacy live on, not only through his many victories on the strip, but also in the groundbreaking work he did to expand fencing in underserved communities,” says Phil Andrews, USA Fencing’s CEO. “After discussing various options with the Peter Westbrook Foundation and Peter’s family, it became clear that naming the championship after him was not only appropriate — it was inevitable. He won this event more times than any other fencer, and his impact on our sport remains unmatched.”
Beyond his competitive accomplishments, Westbrook founded the Peter Westbrook Foundation in 1991 to offer fencing instruction, academic support and life-skills training to youth in underserved communities. The program has produced multiple Olympians and continues to introduce new generations of athletes to the sport.
The newly named “Peter Westbrook Division I Men’s Saber National Championship” will make its debut at the April 2025 North American Cup, Division I National Championships, and Parafencing National Championships in Los Angeles — the city where Westbrook earned his Olympic medal more than four decades ago.
The men’s saber final will take place on Saturday, April 12. The champion crowned that evening will be the first athlete officially honored with the new designation, and USA Fencing plans to recognize the honor during the medal ceremony and on its social media channels.
Division I Men’s Saber National Champions #
1888: Hildreth Kennedy
1889: Louis Francke
1890: George Heintz
1891: Charles Bothner
1892: Rudolph Haubold
1893: Graeme Hammond
1894: Graeme Hammond
1895: Charles Bothner
1896: Charles Bothner
1897: Charles Bothner
1899: Georges Kavanagh
1900: Langdon Erving
1901: Albertson Post
1902: Albertson Post
1903: Albertson Post
1904: August Anderson
1905: Kirk Belshaw
1906: August Anderson
1907: August Anderson
1908: George Postgate
1909: Alfred Sauer
1910: Joseph Shaw
1911: August Anderson
1912: Charles Bill
1913: August Anderson
1914: Willem van Blijenburgh
1915: Sherman Hall
1916: Sherman Hall
1917: Arthur Lyon
1919: Arthur Lyon
1920: Sherman Hall
1921: Chauncey McPherson
1922: Leo Nunes
1923: Leonard Schoonmaker
1924: Ernest Gignoux
1925: Joseph Vince
1926: Leo Nunes
1927: Nickolas Muray
1928: Nickolas Muray
1929: Leo Nunes
1930: Norman Armitage
1931: John Huffman
1932: John Huffman
1933: John Huffman
1934: Norman Armitage
1935: Norman Armitage
1936: Norman Armitage
1937: John Huffman
1938: John Huffman
1939: Norman Armitage
1940: Norman Armitage
1941: Norman Armitage
1942: Norman Armitage
1943: Norman Armitage
1944: Tibor Nyilas
1945: Norman Armitage
1946: Tibor Nyilas
1947: James Flynn
1948: Dean Cetrulo
1949: Umberto De Martino
1950: Tibor Nyilas
1951: Tibor Nyilas
1952: Tibor Nyilas
1953: Tibor Nyilas
1954: George Worth
1955: Rex Dyer
1956: Tibor Nyilas
1957: Daniel Magay
1958: Daniel Magay
1959: Tomas Orley
1960: Eugene Hamori
1961: Daniel Magay
1962: Michael D’Asaro
1963: Eugene Hamori
1964: Attila Keresztes
1965: Alexander Orban
1966: Alfonso Morales
1967: Alfonso Morales
1968: Anthony Keane
1969: Alexander Orban
1970: Alexander Orban
1971: Alexander Orban
1972: Alexander Orban
1973: Paul Apostol
1974: Peter Westbrook
1975: Peter Westbrook
1976: Thomas Losonczy
1977: Thomas Losonczy
1978: Stanley Lekach
1979: Peter Westbrook
1980: Peter Westbrook
1981: Peter Westbrook
1982: Peter Westbrook
1983: Peter Westbrook
1984: Peter Westbrook
1985: Peter Westbrook
1986: Peter Westbrook
1987: George Mormando
1988: Peter Westbrook
1989: Peter Westbrook
1990: Robert Cottingham
1991: Michael Lofton
1992: Michael Lofton
1993: David Mandell
1994: John Friedberg
1995: Peter Westbrook
1996: Adam Skarbonkiewicz
1997: Terrence Lasker
1998: Patrick Durkan
1999: Akhnaten Spencer-El
2000: Akhnaten Spencer-El
2001: Ivan Lee
2002: Keeth Smart
2003: Ivan Lee
2004: Keeth Smart
2005: Ivan Lee
2006: Ivan Lee
2007: Timothy Hagamen
2008: Ivan Lee
2009: Bryan Cheney
2010: Timothy Morehouse
2011: Timothy Morehouse
2012: James Williams
2013: Aleksander Ochocki
2014: Eli Dershwitz
2015: Jeffrey Spear
2016: Jeffrey Spear
2017: Daryl Homer
2018: Daryl Homer
2019: Mitchell Saron
(Not contested in 2020)
2021: Colby Harley
2022: Eli Dershwitz
2023: Grant Williams
2024: Grant Williams