Hunter College Athletics

Knab was a four-year member of the women’s fencing team, helping Hunter to two NIWFA Championships in 1952 and 1953. As a senior, she was the country’s top-ranked collegiate women’s fencer and captured a NIWFA individual championship. She began a path to international fame after gracing the cover of Sports Illustrated on December 5, 1955. The renowned sports magazine detailed the quest of Knab and her husband, Dick Dyer, the nation’s number one fencing couple, to represent the United States in the Olympics. She went on to be a two-time alternate on the U.S. Olympic Fencing Team for the 1956 Games in Melbourne, Australia and the 1960 games in Rome, Italy. She also competed in and won championships at numerous national and world class tournaments.