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NCAA News Archive - 2007
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Touché his forté
New York U. fencer made his mark in a sport he discovered by accident
New York U. fencer made his mark in a sport he discovered by accident
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By Leilana McKindra
The NCAA News
The NCAA News
While two wrongs may not make a right, a wrong turn turned into the right direction for former New York University fencing student-athlete Mika’il Sankofa, whose amazing title run in the 1980s ranks among the Association’s defining moments.
Sankofa, who was born Michael Lofton but later changed his name for religious and philosophical reasons, wanted to play football — a notion his mother summarily dismissed. However, one day while on his way to register for a baseball league, he accidentally discovered the sport that would ultimately take him around the world and allow him to carve a lasting niche in NCAA history as the first fencer to claim four straight individual national championships.
“The lady said go down the hall and make a right,” Sankofa said. “What did I do? I went down the hall and made a left.”
That took him to the judo, wrestling and gymnastics areas. But it was the fencers dancing and lunging across the floor of the fourth room that caught and held the attention of then 9-year-old Sankofa.
“That was it,” he said. “I introduced myself to the coach, found out what I needed to do, then proceeded to forge my mother’s signature and break my piggy bank for the $10 fee.”
Though hastily made decisions often lead to bad outcomes, in Sankofa’s case the move was a solid first step toward what would become a prolific career punctuated with junior, collegiate, national and international success.
As well known as Sankofa became in the fencing world, he initially kept his passion a secret from his mother. “I didn’t think she would sign the permission slip,” he said. “I wanted to play football and that was out. No way. I knew fencing wasn’t going to be an easy sell, so I didn’t even tell her.”
Apparently arousing his mother’s suspicions after missing one too many Saturday-morning episodes of the “Fat Albert and Gang” cartoon, Sankofa was forced to confess his involvement in a fencing program. However, as his skill grew and his mother’s objections waned, the clear flashes of talent the Long Island native displayed earned him a scholarship to a local club.
Seizing the moment
A collection of wins at the local and state levels produced opportunities to compete at the Junior Olympics. He went on to earn a couple of junior championships. Sankofa fenced sabre, epee and foil early in his career but eventually settled on the sabre as his weapon of choice.
Sankofa almost missed his opportunity to make his mark at the collegiate level. By his own admission, he wasn’t the strongest student in high school and all of his college applications were rejected. A year spent traveling, competing and working an assortment of jobs convinced him to reapply. With the help of a program designed to assist individuals who have potential but are without the financial resources to attend college, Sankofa earned a full scholarship to New York U., paving the way for his unprecedented achievement.
He pursuit of becoming the first to four NCAA sabre titles began with a win at the 1984 championships. “In my freshman year, my coach told me I could win four, so he really gave me the mindset that I could try to do something no one had ever done,” he said. “I got the first one, then I said let’s try to do this.”
Driven by the chance to carve his name in the NCAA records book, Sankofa dominated opponents, posting undefeated records in three of the four seasons, including his freshman year, when he went 19-0.
His only loss in NCAA competition was a surprising first-round defeat during his sophomore campaign that immediately recalibrated his focus.
“I had to snap out of that because I didn’t want anyone to get any ideas,” said Sankofa. “I was glad it happened, because a lot of times you become a champion and get a big head. You have to realize that you’re just like everyone else.”
Sankofa never lost another collegiate match, closing out his junior and senior seasons with an overall record of 36-0. Sankofa cited his humbling experiences in the junior ranks — and the fact that he had to work extra hard to earn the opportunity to attend college — contributed to his toughness on the strip.
“It validated my scholarship, the reason I was in school and the people who went to bat for me. They had given me something — a great education — and I wanted to show my appreciation not only to the university, but to my teammates, coach, family and friends,” he said. “I fenced some incredible people and it was a wonderful experience. I loved being champion and hearing my name announced as the best fencer in the country.”
Sankofa went on to hear his name announced twice as the U.S. national sabre champion and three times as a member of the U.S. Olympic fencing team in 1984, 1988 and 1992. He retired from competition four years later.
“It was time,” he said. “I had a good run. No regrets.”
How could there be? Winning multiple NCAA individual titles, Sankofa said, ranks just behind his most cherished accomplishment of being a three-time Olympian. Further, the teamwork, discipline, passion and hard work he took from his college athletics experience became life lessons. “When you have an opportunity and you can seize it, go all out and life will reward you,” he said.
Diversity in sport
Despite retiring from competition, Sankofa continues to stay on the cutting edge of the sport. Last year, he spent nearly four months training with some of the top fencing coaches in the world to obtain his maestro’s degree with honors from Semmelweis University in Hungary.
These days, Sankofa is applying his knowledge, wisdom and experience as head men’s fencing coach at Stevens Institute of Technology. He took over the program during the 2004-05 season after a long stint in marketing and public relations.
Sankofa said the sport has grown tremendously over the years, especially in terms of diversity, thanks to an influx of coaches from Hungary, Poland and Russia.
Though there was a time when Sankofa believed he was the only black person in the sport, he soon learned there were others such as Uriah Jones, the first black man to compete on the U.S. Olympic Team in 1968 and one of his own mentors, Peter Westbrook, with whom Sankofa established an organization to expose inner-city children to fencing.
The Peter Westbrook Foundation, which began with six kids in 1990 and now supports a Saturday program of 200 participants and an elite program with 40 more, has produced three NCAA champions, three U.S. national champions, two junior world team members, the 2005 junior Olympic women’s sabre champion and the 2005 national cadet men’s sabre champion.
Reflecting on his career, Sankofa credits simple curiosity for much of his success and encourages aspiring athletes to rely on the same.
“Don’t leave any stone unturned because you never know what’s beneath it or beyond it,” he said. “Look at obstacles as trampolines to success because what doesn’t hurt you will make you stronger.”
Sankofa, who was born Michael Lofton but later changed his name for religious and philosophical reasons, wanted to play football — a notion his mother summarily dismissed. However, one day while on his way to register for a baseball league, he accidentally discovered the sport that would ultimately take him around the world and allow him to carve a lasting niche in NCAA history as the first fencer to claim four straight individual national championships.
“The lady said go down the hall and make a right,” Sankofa said. “What did I do? I went down the hall and made a left.”
That took him to the judo, wrestling and gymnastics areas. But it was the fencers dancing and lunging across the floor of the fourth room that caught and held the attention of then 9-year-old Sankofa.
“That was it,” he said. “I introduced myself to the coach, found out what I needed to do, then proceeded to forge my mother’s signature and break my piggy bank for the $10 fee.”
Though hastily made decisions often lead to bad outcomes, in Sankofa’s case the move was a solid first step toward what would become a prolific career punctuated with junior, collegiate, national and international success.
As well known as Sankofa became in the fencing world, he initially kept his passion a secret from his mother. “I didn’t think she would sign the permission slip,” he said. “I wanted to play football and that was out. No way. I knew fencing wasn’t going to be an easy sell, so I didn’t even tell her.”
Apparently arousing his mother’s suspicions after missing one too many Saturday-morning episodes of the “Fat Albert and Gang” cartoon, Sankofa was forced to confess his involvement in a fencing program. However, as his skill grew and his mother’s objections waned, the clear flashes of talent the Long Island native displayed earned him a scholarship to a local club.
Seizing the moment
A collection of wins at the local and state levels produced opportunities to compete at the Junior Olympics. He went on to earn a couple of junior championships. Sankofa fenced sabre, epee and foil early in his career but eventually settled on the sabre as his weapon of choice.
Sankofa almost missed his opportunity to make his mark at the collegiate level. By his own admission, he wasn’t the strongest student in high school and all of his college applications were rejected. A year spent traveling, competing and working an assortment of jobs convinced him to reapply. With the help of a program designed to assist individuals who have potential but are without the financial resources to attend college, Sankofa earned a full scholarship to New York U., paving the way for his unprecedented achievement.
He pursuit of becoming the first to four NCAA sabre titles began with a win at the 1984 championships. “In my freshman year, my coach told me I could win four, so he really gave me the mindset that I could try to do something no one had ever done,” he said. “I got the first one, then I said let’s try to do this.”
Driven by the chance to carve his name in the NCAA records book, Sankofa dominated opponents, posting undefeated records in three of the four seasons, including his freshman year, when he went 19-0.
His only loss in NCAA competition was a surprising first-round defeat during his sophomore campaign that immediately recalibrated his focus.
“I had to snap out of that because I didn’t want anyone to get any ideas,” said Sankofa. “I was glad it happened, because a lot of times you become a champion and get a big head. You have to realize that you’re just like everyone else.”
Sankofa never lost another collegiate match, closing out his junior and senior seasons with an overall record of 36-0. Sankofa cited his humbling experiences in the junior ranks — and the fact that he had to work extra hard to earn the opportunity to attend college — contributed to his toughness on the strip.
“It validated my scholarship, the reason I was in school and the people who went to bat for me. They had given me something — a great education — and I wanted to show my appreciation not only to the university, but to my teammates, coach, family and friends,” he said. “I fenced some incredible people and it was a wonderful experience. I loved being champion and hearing my name announced as the best fencer in the country.”
Sankofa went on to hear his name announced twice as the U.S. national sabre champion and three times as a member of the U.S. Olympic fencing team in 1984, 1988 and 1992. He retired from competition four years later.
“It was time,” he said. “I had a good run. No regrets.”
How could there be? Winning multiple NCAA individual titles, Sankofa said, ranks just behind his most cherished accomplishment of being a three-time Olympian. Further, the teamwork, discipline, passion and hard work he took from his college athletics experience became life lessons. “When you have an opportunity and you can seize it, go all out and life will reward you,” he said.
Diversity in sport
Despite retiring from competition, Sankofa continues to stay on the cutting edge of the sport. Last year, he spent nearly four months training with some of the top fencing coaches in the world to obtain his maestro’s degree with honors from Semmelweis University in Hungary.
These days, Sankofa is applying his knowledge, wisdom and experience as head men’s fencing coach at Stevens Institute of Technology. He took over the program during the 2004-05 season after a long stint in marketing and public relations.
Sankofa said the sport has grown tremendously over the years, especially in terms of diversity, thanks to an influx of coaches from Hungary, Poland and Russia.
Though there was a time when Sankofa believed he was the only black person in the sport, he soon learned there were others such as Uriah Jones, the first black man to compete on the U.S. Olympic Team in 1968 and one of his own mentors, Peter Westbrook, with whom Sankofa established an organization to expose inner-city children to fencing.
The Peter Westbrook Foundation, which began with six kids in 1990 and now supports a Saturday program of 200 participants and an elite program with 40 more, has produced three NCAA champions, three U.S. national champions, two junior world team members, the 2005 junior Olympic women’s sabre champion and the 2005 national cadet men’s sabre champion.
Reflecting on his career, Sankofa credits simple curiosity for much of his success and encourages aspiring athletes to rely on the same.
“Don’t leave any stone unturned because you never know what’s beneath it or beyond it,” he said. “Look at obstacles as trampolines to success because what doesn’t hurt you will make you stronger.”
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