Over the next few weeks, GoColumbiaLions.com will take a look at the teams, student-athletes, coaches and staff members set to be inducted in the Columbia University Athletics Hall of Fame this October. Our next installment features one of the most decorated fencers in the program's storied history.
Jeff Spear '10CC
By Akash Bhat
Behind the fencer's mask hides a quintessential student-athlete, Olympian, national champion, All-American fencer and Columbia College salutatorian.
An Evolutionary Biology of Human Species major with a 4.07 GPA, Spear, was one of eleven Columbians and the second youngest member of the four person Olympic team who competed at the 2012 London Olympic games. He is a three-time All-American, matching his tally of first team All-Ivy League honors.
A native of Wynantskill, New York, Spear has been fencing since he was 12, falling in love with tactical thrill of the intense one-on-one competition.
In his first year at the University, he won 28 of 36 regular-season bouts, the fourth most victories of any Lions' men's fencer. Former head coach George Kolombatovich, a Columbia Athletics Hall of Famer himself, said that Spear is a “truly exceptional individual and a tremendous role model who sets the bar high, a teammate who is calm in competition and understands time management."
For his career, Spear posted a remarkable 143-46 record in sabre.
He is a two-time Intercollegiate Fencing Association gold medalist and was awarded an NCAA postgraduate scholarship in 2010. Of his many accolades, being the only repeat selection on the 2010 CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Men's At-Large first team, stands out notably.
Spear remained a fierce competitor both on and off the strip throughout his student life at Columbia University. In 2010, he received the NCAA Elite 88 award for fencing, which is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA's 88 championships. His anthropology Professor Ralph Holloway described Spear as “one of the most outstanding students I've known since I started teaching at Columbia in 1964.”
Following an incredibly fruitful career as a student-athlete at Columbia University, the accolades continued to roll in for the former fencing standout. In 2011, he earned a silver medal at the USA Fencing National Championships and was part of two gold medal winning teams at the 2015 Tbilisi World Cup and 2016 Warsaw World Cup.
