Beguinet Inks Zegers for 2019-20 Season

DURHAM, N.C. – The Duke fencing team received its first signee for the 2019-20 recruiting class as saberist Anneke Zegers signed her National Letter of Intent (NLI) to compete for the Blue Devils.

A native of Fair Oaks, Calif., Zegers is currently a senior at Saint Francis High School in Sacramento, Calif., and is a member of the Premier Fencing Academy under Kristian Hristov, Tsvetelina Bakalova-Hristov and Hristo Hristov.

Zegers has participated extensively in North American Cups (NAC) throughout her fencing career and in 2017, earned an A rating with a seventh-place finish at the USA Fencing National Championships in Division 1A Women's Saber.

Zegers represented Team USA at the 2016 Cadet World Cup in Eislingen, Germany and is a two-time Senior Women's Saber Bay Cup Series Season Points Champion. Additionally, she captured gold at the Cadet Regional Point and bronze at the junior event.

Named to the Absolute Fencing All-Academic First Team three consecutive years, Zegers was also named to the USA Fencing All-American Team with a GPA of 3.8 or higher.

Outside of fencing, Zegers is a member of the National Merit Scholarship Program, participated in an academic decathlon, was the founder and vice president of SF Marvels, a high school club and was the historian and senator for her school's Latin Club. Additionally, Zegers was the Editor-in-Chief of the school's literary magazine and an active member of both the Girl Scouts of America and is involved with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).

Zegers will compete alongside a familiar face upon her arrival in Durham as her older sister, Gabrielle Zegers, is a sophomore on the Duke women's saber team.

Duke will open the 2019 slate Sunday, Jan. 13, with the Penn State Duals in State College, Pa.

#GoDuke