The simple word “fencing” brings all manner of images to mind. From white picket fencing, which represented the suburban American Dream of the 1950s, to border fencing, which has become the most divisive issue of the 2016 presidential campaign, fencing resonates deeply with the soul of the American public.
The sport of fencing doesn’t have quite such a universal national appeal. But that’s certainly not the fault of Simon Jones ’16. On the contrary, Jones is doing everything he can to make fencing more exciting to a national audience, starting by qualifying for three NCAA championships in his four-year career with the Bears.
Jones, who fences “epee” — which, despite widely held public belief, is not an electronic toilet device, but a type of fencing — recently qualified for his third NCAA championship as a Bear, and placed 12th in the competition, earning his second All-American honor.
Born in Louisville, Colorado — which holds the prestigious distinction of the No. 2 spot on the “best-known towns named Louisville” list — Joneshas now completed his career as a student-athlete, but he’s not done with the Brown Bears: He’ll return next year as an assistant coach for the fencing team.
Jones’ life has been built around fencing: He’s fenced in the junior olympics and nationals as well as Junior World Cups in Slovakia, Sweden and Finland. And now, as his career with the Bears concludes, he leaves Brown a three-time NCAA finalist and two-time All American.
For reaching his third NCAA championship in his final days as a Bear, Jones has been named The Herald’s Athlete Of The Week.