@3puppies - Yes, recruited athletes are not viewed the same as other applicants. Then again, neither are recruited musicians, artists or scientists. In each case it depends upon the school as well as its particular recruitment needs for that entry class. One Ivy League admissions counselor related the case of a request from the head of the band department for a bass. Guess what? They took a kid who played the bass.
Although the higher end fencing demographic, e.g., those competing at the national and international levels, tends toward “privilege,” this is not true for the much larger group of fencers who compete at public high schools throughout the country. The sport is nowhere near as expensive (tending toward the “privileged” class) without the national and international competition component.
Regarding the relative weight of GPA and rank, this is not unique to recruiting of any kind. High schools carry weights used by colleges relative to a number of factors in an attempt to level the playing field in these areas. I am personally familiar with instances of admission at lower GPAs and lower class ranks where a schools was deemed more rigorous than others. This is something the high school guidance counselor may be able to shed some light upon.
@epee2016 - Review the Columbia fencing roster. The team lost it’s best ME last season which made for a good time to be entering for 2020 and the school recruited 2 ME. Now there are 6 none of whom are graduating until 2018. This will be tough to break into unless you are an exceptional epee’ recruit. Also, going back to the roster, you can probably discern where CU will devote its recruitment slots. For instance, they have 3 MS graduating in 2017, cutting the MS squad in half. Betting on a recruit or 2 there. While super high board scores can tip the balance, if you can’t get into CU on your academic and other non-fencing merits, my sense is that you are a long shot to be recruited.