In the past sixty years, Brandeis University alumni have become renowned as world-class academics, artists, businesspeople, and politicians. However, until this year, Brandeis has never had a graduate who has gone on to compete at the Olympic games, the highest level of athletic competition in the world.

That changed earlier this week, as fencer Tim Morehouse clinched the second of eight berths in the 2008 Summer Olympics for the United States fencing team. The competition will be held in Beijing, China this August. Morehouse graduated from Brandeis in 2000, and he has climbed to 17th in the world in sabre competition. He served as an alternate on the 2004 US Olympics team, making the trip to Athens but failing to participate in a single match. He has been on the United States national team four times in world championship competition.

Even by the high standards he has set for himself with his world-class career, Morehouse has had a spectacularly successful two-year stretch. Earlier this year, he reached the Round of 32 in nine straight international competitions, including a 15th place finish in the 2007 World Championships. His international ranking reached as high as number 12.

Brandeis has long been known for the strength of its fencing team; it is the only NCAA sport in which the Judges compete at a Division-I level.