Honors & Accomplishments
• Ivy League Co-Coach of the Year (2018)
• Five-time US National Team member
• Two-time World Championship Medalist (2011 & 2012)
• U.S. Fencing National Champion (2011)
• NCAA Champion (2007)
• Columbia Athletics Hall of Fame (2014)
Coaching Experience
• Head Coach, Cornell University (2016 - Present)
• Assistant Coach, Columbia University (2010-14)
Education
• B.A., Russian Literature and Language, Columbia University (2010)
At Cornell
Five-time US National Team member Daria Schneider was named the eighth head coach of women’s fencing at Cornell University on June 21, 2016. Hired at the age of 29 years old, Schneider was the second youngest head coach of an NCAA Division I fencing program, behind only Lafayette College head coach Jarrod Rottau.
The 2018-19 season proved to be a historic one with outstanding individual performances at the Ivy League Round Robin, the NCAA Northeast Regional, and the NCAA Tournament. Freshman Megan Eno became just the fourth fencer in Big Red history to earn first-team All-Ivy honors when she placed third overall in the epee competition at the 2019 Ivy League Fencing Round-Robin. She went on to take a silver medal at the Northeast Regional, and captured honorable mention All-America honors with a ninth place finish at the national tournament. Cornell had two All-Americans for the first time since 1984, as Esther Bentolila took sixth place overall in the saber competition and was named to the second-team. The two top 10 finishes by Eno and Bentolila marked the first time in program history that two individuals finished in the top 10 of their respective weapon, while the team's 14th place finish was the highest by Cornell in the NCAA era. Freshman Gillian Harrill also participated in the NCAA tournament and took 16th place in the saber competition.
In just her second year at the helm, Schneider was named the Ivy League Co-Coach of the Year after she guided the Big Red fencers to strong individual efforts at the Fencing Round-Robins. Cornell had four top-10 finishes in both saber and foil, and of the four fencers, three were freshmen recruited by Schneider, including All-Ivy selection Marissa Viqueira. Three of Cornell's top-10 finishers competed in the foil, a squad that earned victories over No. 4 Princeton, No. 9 Penn, Brown, and Yale, while handing Ivy Champion Columbia's foil squad 50 percent of its losses for the entire competition.
In her first season, the Big Red posted a record of 19-13 overall (2-4 Ivy) and finished 15th overall at the NCAA Championship. During the season Cornell posted two major victories, defeating St. John’s for the first time since 1992 and upsetting No. 9 Temple to beat the Owls for the first time since 1979.
Under her direction, Cornell has earned three All-Ivy selections and has had eight fencers advance to the NCAA tournament.
Schneider Notables
• Served as team captain for Team USA when it earned six medals, including first-ever team golds in women’s epee and women’s foil, at the 2018 Senior World Championships.
• The 2016-17 Big Red snapped an 11-bout losing streak to St. John's. Cornell had lost 11 straight to the Red Storm, with the last Big Red win coming on Jan. 11, 1992 when Cornell beat SJU on touches after the bout ended in an 8-8 tie.
• The 2016-17 Big Red snapped a 23-bout losing streak to Temple, upsetting the No. 9 Owls, 14-13. It was just Cornell’s third victory over Temple, and the first win since the 1979-80 season.
Prominent Cornell Pupils
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Victoria Wines ’17 – The first four-time All-Ivy fencer in program history, Wines capped her senior season with a silver medal in the NCAA Northeast Regional and an 18th place finish in epee at the 2017 NCAA Fencing Championships.
Prior to Cornell
One of the top fencers in Columbia history, Schneider also served on the Lions’ coaching staff from 2010-14, holding positions as the director of fencing operations, head assistant coach, and the program’s interim head coach. At the time, she was the youngest head coach of a men’s and women’s Division I NCAA program.
International Career
A member of the USA Fencing Board of Directors since 2012, Schneider also serves as an athlete representative to the USA Fencing Athlete Advisory committee, a position she has held since 2008, and is an alternate representative for USA Fencing to the U.S. Olympic Athlete Advisory Committee. In July 2018, Schneider served as team captain for USA Fencing as it set a program record with six medals at the Senior World Championships.
On the strip, Schneider was a world-class fencer consistently ranked among the highest in the nation and the world in sabre. Ranked as high as second in the nation and 13th in the world, she won a bronze medal at the World Championships in 2011 and 2012 as a member of the U.S. National Team. In 2011, she won a U.S. Fencing National Championship and has earned more than 50 national and international medals over her career.
Collegiate Career
Schneider won the NCAA championship in women's sabre as a sophomore in 2007. After taking a year off to train for a spot on the 2008 United States Olympic team, she returned for her junior year to claim bronze at the 2009 NCAA championships.
For her NCAA career, Schneider finished with an overall record of 158-28. She was a two-time team co-captain, a three-time first team All-Ivy League selection, a three-time Academic All-Ivy pick, and a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American. She was elected into the Columbia Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014.
Personal
A native of Brookline, Mass., Schneider resides in Ithaca. She and her long-time partner, Spencer, have one child, Finn.
