NEW YORK—The Columbia Fencing program will begin its pursuit for a 17^th national championship as Head Coach Michael Aufrichtig announced its 2021-22 schedule on Tuesday. Entering the program's 125^th all-time season, Columbia is scheduled to compete in nine regular season collegiate invitationals and two postseason events, along with a variety of other national and international championship events.
 
"The goal of our program is to maximize our ability," Aufrichtig said. "We are excited to have an intense competition schedule that will prepare us in our quest for our 17^th national team title."
 
Postseason events include the 2022 NCAA Championships, which will be contested in South Bend, Ind. and hosted by Notre Dame, March 24-27, along with the NCAA Northeast Regional set for March 12 at a site to be determined. Columbia has won three of the last five NCAA Championships that it has participated in. The Lions have missed each of the last two NCAA Championships due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020 Championship was canceled by the NCAA, while the 2020-21 season was canceled by the Ivy League Council of Presidents.
 
The Ivy League Round Robin meet is scheduled for February 12-13 in Providence, R.I. with Brown hosting. Columbia's women's team has won at least a share of five of the last six Ivy League titles, while the men's squad has won a share of six of the last seven championships. The event feature a dual match round-robin format as Columbia fences each of its Ivy League rivals.
 
Columbia will host two events at Dodge Fitness Center in the coming year. The Columbia Invitational on November 19 will feature NJIT, Stevens, and Johns Hopkins at Dodge Fitness Center. The third annual George Kolombatovich Historical Meet on February 16 will pair the Lions against Sacred Heart, Vassar, and NYU.
 
Columbia opens fall competition at the Max Garett Penn State Open in State College, Pa. Scheduled for November 6-7, the event will follow a regional format. The Lions will then travel to Colorado Springs, Colo. on November 11-14 for the Air Force Invitational, which includes matches against Air Force, Stanford, UC San Diego, Incarnate Word, Northwestern (women), Brandeis, Notre Dame, and North Carolina.
 
Following a two-month break from collegiate competition, the winter schedule begins at the Penn State Invitational on Sunday, January 16 where the Lions will take on Penn State, Haverford (men), Temple (women), Duke, Penn, North Carolina, and Yale. The following Saturday, January 22 will be spent at the St. John's Super Cup in Jamaica, N.Y. where the Lions will fence five matches against the likes of Penn State, St. John's, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Harvard. On Sunday, January 23, Columbia will travel to Philadelphia for the Penn Invitational and five matches against Ohio State, Northwestern (women), Wayne State, Temple (women), and Lafayette, along with two more teams to be announced.
 
The Lions will also participate in the LIU Shark Showcase in Brooklyn on Sunday, Feb. 6 against LIU (women), Hunter (men), St. John's, and NYU.
 
Scheduled team events include its Columbia Winter Training Camp on January 12-14 and annual Team Dinner on Friday, April 29.