SWT’s John Moreau wins national fencing title

SAN MARCOS — It took 33 years, but John Moreau can finally call himself “National Champion.”

Moreau, a 52-year-old lecturer in the Department of Health, P.E. and Recreation at Southwest Texas State University, won the United States national championship in fencing, epee division, last week. The Summer Nationals, sanctioned by the United States Fencing Association, were held at the Austin Convention Center.

The victory makes Moreau, an alumnus of the SWT Graduate Program in Physical Education, the oldest national championship winner in USFA history. Success didn’t come overnight for Moreau, however—he was a member of the 1984 and 1988 U.S. Olympic Fencing Teams.

“ It surprised me a little bit, but I think it came more as a surprise to other people there,” said Moreau, a San Marcos resident. “I’ve never won a national championship, even though I’ve made it to finals before.

“ I started fencing in 1970, and I’ve made it to the finals maybe six times,” he said. “Sometimes it works out that way. You just try your best and accept what the results are. Even if you aren’t happy with them, you have to acknowledge them.”

An instructor at SWT for 20 years, Moreau teaches physical education, karate, fencing and women’s self-defense, all of which he describes as “activity classes.” His next fencing activity will take him a little bit farther afield than Austin, though. Moreau will attend the Pan American Games Aug. 8-13 in the Dominican Republic, serving as one of three international judges for modern pentathlon.