Coaching Experience
• Head Coach, Cornell University (2019-Present)
• Head Coach, Wellesley College (2015-19)
• Head Coach, Tufts University (2010-15)
• Instructor, Phillips Academy Andover (2007-19)
Education
• B.A., History, Binghamton University
At Cornell
Ariana Klinkov was named the Head Coach of Women's Fencing in September 2019. Klinkov joins the Big Red after four successful seasons as the head fencing coach at Wellesley College.
Top 10 national rankings have become the norm, as Cornell has posted a 113-32 dual meet record, including 26 wins over nationally ranked opponents. Cornell has also topped the No. 1 team in the country twice (2019 Princeton, 2023 Notre Dame). The Big Red has crowned five All-Americans over that span.
In her first season at the helm, Klinkov led the Big Red to a season for the record books, highlighted by a program-best 24-10 record, the first time the women's fencing program has eclipsed 20 victories. Klinkov aided the Big Red to a 14-13 win over No. 1-ranked Princeton at the Northwestern Duals, marking the program's first win over Princeton since Feb. 8, 1992.
Under Klinkov's watch, Cornell placed three fencers on the All-Ivy squads in 2020, marking the first time Cornell produced multiple All-Ivy fencers since 2016. It was the fourth time a Big Red team had done it in the program's history. Cornell qualified three fencers for the 2020 NCAA Championships following their performances at the NCAA Northeast Regional. Madeleine Nishimura (Foil), Megan Eno (Epee), and Ying Cao (Foil) all earned spots at the championships.
The 2022 season pushed the bar higher, opening the season with 32 consecutive wins, the most victories to start a season without a defeat in any sport in school history. Cornell closed the year with a 33-5 mark and placed ninth at the NCAA Championships, with Eno collecting her third All-America nod.
In 2023, Cornell was 26-9 with five wins over nationally ranked opponents. One headlining win was a 16-11 triumph over Notre Dame at the Northwestern Duals.
Cornell continued its success under Klikov with the second-most wins in a season in program history at 30-8 in 2023-24. The Big Red took down seven ranked opponents throughout the season, including No. 2 Notre Dame at the Northwestern Duals and No. 5 Northwestern at the Tufts University Invitational. Cornell completed the 2023-24 season with the second-most wins in a season in program history with a 30-8 mark. Ketki Ketkar '26 continued her rise to being one of the best fencers in the country with a first team All-Ivy nod and winning gold at the NCAA Northeast Regional. Ketkar would become the first Big Red fencer to earn a first team All-American nod since Victoria Wines in 2015 with her third-place finish at the 2024 NC Fencing Championships at Ohio State. Stella Berman '24 and Isabela Carvalho also represented Cornell in sabre at the championships to push Cornell to an 11th-place finish.
Prior To Cornell
Klinkov has a wealth of experience building programs, guiding Wellesley from an 11-10 record in 2015-16 to a 23-5 mark in 2018-19. Under her tutelage, the Blue won its first New England Intercollegiate Fencing Conference championship in 2018-19 and qualified 10 student-athletes for the NCAA Division III Northeast Regionals. Klinkov led Wellesley to a 70-38 overall record with 33 NCAA Regional qualifiers over four seasons.
Prior to her time at Wellesley, Klinkov coached at Tufts University, where she directed the program for five seasons. Additionally, Klinkov served as a coach at Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass. While there, she mentored 2008 NCAA men's sabre national champion Jeff Spear and 2007 NCAA women's sabre national champion and former Big Red head coach Daria Schneider at her club, Prise De Fer Fencing.
Klinkov's coaching experience is magnified by her work as a member of the Fencing Officials Commission, becoming the first female referee to officiate a world championship gold medal match in sabre and the first female three-weapon referee in the world.
Fencing Career
As a competitor, Klinkov was a member of the 1995 U.S. national champion women's sabre team, the 1998 U.S. national silver medal women's sabre team, and the 2003 U.S. national silver medal women's sabre team.
Updated May 2024
