(LEBANON, Ill., April 11)—McKendree University officials announced on Tuesday that men's and women's fencing will no longer be offered by the University as an intercollegiate sport, effective at the end of the 2017-18 academic year.
 
"It is never an easy decision to discontinue a program, especially one like the McKendree fencing program where our student-athletes and coaches have worked so hard to excel," said Chuck Brueggemann, director of athletics at McKendree. "It was always our intent to move our fencing program to the NCAA level. However, based on our experiences, doing that would not have been the best fiscal decision for the University."
 
The McKendree fencing program recently finished its fourth season of competition in 2017-18. The Bearcats participated in four meets during the course of the season, placing eighth at the Midwest Fencing Conference Championships hosted by Ohio State University in late February.
 
As a member of the Midwest Fencing Conference, McKendree competed alongside NCAA Division I powers Ohio State, the University of Michigan and Northwestern University as well as Michigan State University, Cleveland State University, the University of Detroit, Indiana University and the University of Illinois.
 
With the discontinuation of its fencing programs, McKendree will offer 32 intercollegiate athletic programs for the 2018-19 academic year.