Peter Rosas has served the Yeshiva University men’s fencing team as a coach since the fall of 1986 and was named the Maccabees’ head coach in 2002. He has been coaching the sport in which he was a two-time NCAA Championships qualifier (1979 and 1981) since he graduated from City College of New York in 1982, including a four-year stint as an assistant coach at his alma mater.
Rosas is a certified instructor in all three fencing disciplines by the U.S. Fencing Coaches Association, and the Lehman High School (Bronx, N.Y.) alum is also a first-degree black belt in shotokan karate.
At CCNY, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science after placing 21st in the sabre weapon at the 1981 NCAA Championships. He was also an Intercollegiate Fencing Association (IFA) finalist, team captain and the Beavers’ MVP that winter. Rosas’ efforts helped CCNY win the City University of New York Championship both in the sabre discipline, as well as the three-weapon title. Furthermore, he was inducted into the CCNY Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014.
Under his leadership with the Maccabees, Spencer Brasch earned a third-place finish in the 2016 MACFA Championships and Zaelig Averch earned a spot on the All-MACFA second team during the 2019-20 season.
Rosas was selected as the MACFA Coach of the Year, during the MACFA Championships, on March 1, 2020.
In 2020-21, Averch earned NCAA All-America accolades. On July 1, 2021, the men's fencing program earned the Men's Scholar Team of the Year Award with a USFCA-best team GPA of 3.72. Six fencers from the YU men's program were named to the USFCA All-Academic team and five of them were bestowed with Scholar of Distinction accolades.
On June 21, 2022, the men's fencing program was once again honored with Men's Scholar Team of the Year accolades as Rosas' team boasted a USFCA-best team GPA of 3.87. Seven fencers earned Scholar of Distinction honors and all eight student-athletes on the squad were named to the USFCA All-Academic team. Also in 2021-22, Averch earned silver at the MACFA Championships and was selected to the CoSIDA Academic All-America second team.
On June 22, 2023, the men's fencing team earned USFCA Team All-Academic honors for the third straight year. Six fencers earned Scholar of Distinction honors and seven student-athletes on the program were named to the USFCA All-Academic team.
A dedicated coach who enjoys watching his student-athletes grow academically and athletically, he has worked for the New York City Department of Health for the last thirty years. Rosas resides in his native Bronx, N.Y.
