Passion and Community on the Strip: Fiona Neibart '26

ITHACA, N.Y. – For everyone, the love for a sport often begins at a young age, whether finding a team to root for or picking up an object and throwing it for the first time. For Fiona Neibart, it all started with a piece of paper for a fencing club in New York City.

“My parent found a free coupon for a fencing club on the upper west side of Manhattan. I ended up starting there and had lessons with my coach Achiko Lortkipanidze, and enjoyed it,” Neibart said.

But what came along with Neibart’s love for fencing was also something that she had been dealing with since her youth: being deaf in her left ear.

“I have been half deaf since I was about four years old, and then during my senior year of high school, I got a cochlear implant after using hearing aids for about three or four years. Fencing with hearing aids and a cochlear implant has been extremely different than when I did not use any support because I had access to sound that I did not have before,” Neibart said.

It was trial and error for Neibart with the implant, as the access to more sounds felt overwhelming. She did not let that stop her from working on her craft. And the hard work paid off, as Neibart was named a USA Fencing All-American and a Fencing All-Academic First Team selection twice.

With her love for fencing on full display, Neibart knew she wanted to continue her passion at the collegiate level. And that drive to be the best on the strip took her four hours northwest to Ithaca.

A SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT

After attending Marymount School of New York, a small girls-only private school, Neibart knew she wanted to branch out and find a place to continue her fencing career and gain a world-class education.

With only 43 colleges at the time offering a recognized NCAA women’s fencing team, Neibart’s options were limited. However, she came to Cornell for a training camp hosted by head coach Ariana Klinkov. And after that experience, her decision was final.

“Once I started talking to Ariana and looking into majors, I found policy analysis and management, which has been my dream major so far, and I found what a supportive coach Ariana has been and continues to be since she trained at my old club for a bit,” Neibart said.

With her decision to be a Big Red athlete set in stone, Neibart came to Cornell in the fall of 2022. But adjusting to hearing with the implant was still a challenge.

“The transition to college was very stressful since I was also going through the transition to hearing at the same time on my left side,” Neibart said. “I had to get good at lasering in my focus, especially when I am on the strip listening to only my coach, teammates, and whoever is trying to help me.”

Neibart recalls advocating to the referee that she was deaf was one of the most challenging moments of her fencing career. Asking for one specific side of the strip or requesting more emphasized hand motions when it was time to fence seemed like a nightmare. She was even yellow carded during her high school career because she took too long to react, as she could not hear the referee at all.

However, that uncertainty and worries disappeared when she suited up for the Big Red.

The newfound camaraderie that Neibart has experienced for her teammates is something she says is truly irreplaceable. And that transfers over to one of her favorite memories that occurred during winter break of her freshman year.

"During intersession, the freshman and sophomore stay in a hotel that's five minutes away from campus since all the dorms are closed, and we took it upon ourselves to go to the hibachi restaurant that's in the area," Neibart said. “The restaurant was completely empty, and being able to bond with my teammates like that off the strip was extremely fun and special and it made me feel closer to my family and my team.”

MOVING FORWARD

As the Big Red wraps up its 2024 regular season with the Ivy League Championships this weekend in New York City, Neibart will enter the final three months of her sophomore year. And despite all the obstacles that have presented themselves, the focus for her final two years on East Hill comes with putting her best foot forward.

“I have been focusing on getting strip time and having ideas in my head. It's easy to get overwhelmed by everything, but coming up with a concrete plan each time I get on the strip and get to the on-guard line and the referee says, ready fence, has been my priority,” Neibart said.