Daniel Bailey-Yavonditte
Daniel Bailey-Yavonditte, “Coach B-Y,” joined Newark Academy in 2020. He has spent more than 20 years in fencing, coaching and mentoring fencers from the age of 9-90 on the local, regional, and national levels. As a Junior and Senior fencer, Coach B-Y was on both National Points lists. In his collegiate career at Drew University, Coach B-Y helped win Sabre Team titles and was a two-time Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Fencing Association (MACFA) Sabre Champion.
Starting as an assistant coach at Drew in 2003, B-Y helped the program achieve weapon and team championships. In 2011, Coach B-Y was tapped to be Acting Head Coach for his alma mater for the end of the season.
Since then, Coach B-Y has taken his dedication to fitness and strategy to New Jersey High School programs. Coach B-Y started with St. Peter’s Prep, revitalizing the program, and setting in place a team that would go on to multi-year District Championships. At West Windsor-Plainsboro South, DCoach B-Y grew the program to more than 60 students, making them a force to be reckoned with. Coach B-Y has multiple Team and Individual State finalists throughout his high school coaching career, including two State Champions. As head coach at Newark Academy, Coach B-Y led the Minutemen to a boy’s foil District Title in 2019 and a District Championship in 2020. During the 2019-2020 season Coach B-Y led the Minutemen to the Triple Crown of NJ high school fencing, winning District, Prep, and State Championships.
Then finished the 2020 season as NJIFA Boy's Coach of the Year, the NJISAA Girl's Coach of the Year, and was USA Fencing's 2020 National High School Coach of the Year. Most recently, in 2022, Coach B-Y led the boys' team to a District and State Championship. As a coach and a teacher, his main focus is developing lifelong learners and lifelong athletes.
