Between owning and running the Clinton Fencing Club in Lebanon, New Jersey and serving as the new head coach of the Hopkins Fencing team, Austin Young is an extremely busy man.
"It's tough but it's doable," said Young, who has been commuting between Baltimore and Lebanon since being announced head coach at the end of August. "I'm working seven days a week. The drive hasn't been too bad, but it's being constantly on the move."
When Dick Oles, Hopkins' fencing coach for the past 45 years, announced his retirement, Associate Director of Athletics Josh MacArthur immediately began a national search for a new coach. Ultimately, Young emerged as his first choice.
"His knowledge of our recruiting base and of fencing in our area made him the choice," MacArthur says. "His ability to recruit is going to help our program in the long run, as will his energy level and his passion for fencing -- as well as his coaching skill, which goes without saying."
Young began fencing in 1985 and later competed at the Division I level at Rutgers University while studying finance. Following his graduation in 1996, he became an assistant men's fencing coach at Rutgers, helping the Scarlet Knights to ninth and 13th place finishes at the NCAA championships.
"I really enjoyed working with the team at Rutgers," said Young. "Working with a club isn't quite the same. I've wanted to go back into the college ranks, but I've never had an opportunity to run a club and still be a college coach until now."
Following last year's 25th place finish in the NCAA Championships by Hopkins Fencing, even veteran team members were nervous about the departure of their longtime coach.
"I was a little surprised at first," said senior Matt Bouloubasis, who finished fifth in the region last year and 14th nationally in the men's epee. "We were coming off a very successful year, so I thought it was strange to see Coach Oles leave. After I met Coach Young, I knew everything would be fine."
Bouloubasis describes the transition from Coach Oles to Coach Young as "seamless."
"He has revitalized the fencing team," said Bouloubasis of his new coach.
"The transition has been much easier than I anticipated," admitted Young. "I was born fifteen years into Coach Oles' coaching at Hopkins. He was there for a long, long time. But I can relate a little bit more to the team and I am more open to listening to what they have to say."
In its first three weeks of practice, Young has challenged the team with demanding cross-training exercise.
"I get the idea that we're doing a little bit more in terms of push-ups and that kind of thing than they're used to, but they're starting to get used to it," said Young, who is stressing physical fitness with this year's squad.
"He takes a more modern approach to coaching the team by encouraging cross training in other activities," agreed Bouloubasis. "Coach was just the infusion of fresh blood that we needed. The team chemistry is very cohesive."
Both MacArthur and Young have high hopes for the team this year.
"Coach Young had coached many, many championship teams," said MacArthur. "Last year, we had one NCAA qualifier; this year, the goal is to have two. We'd like to improve our standings at the NCAA championships."
"I'd like to see both the foil and epee squads win their conferences and to win the conference overall," said Young. "I would definitely like to see at least three or four people make it into the top eight at regionals."
Recruiting is also a high priority for the new coach. During his career, Young recruited five athletes who competed in the NCAA championship level, including three All-Americans.
"I want to put our program in front of people," said Young. "New Jersey is one of the largest fencing states in the country, and I'm reasonably well-known in the New Jersey area. I know a lot of the high school coaches and I travel to a majority of the meaningful national tournaments."
Young hopes his presence at more of the national tournaments will make Hopkins fencing more of a player on a national level. For now, being present at two places at once is a challenge.
"I'm looking for another coach to take over for me in New Jersey," says Young, who is looking forward to focusing his efforts on Hopkins' upcoming season.
"I wish I could give more to both the kids up there and the kids down here," he added. "I didn't feel like I could drop the kids that I've been working with for the past five years."
The search for a coach at Hopkins, however, is over.
Both the athletes and the athletic administration alike are excited to have Young join the Hopkins team.
