Photo by: Ivy League
Fencing Begins NCAA Championships Thursday
3/17/2026 3:00:00 PM | Fencing
The Lions will send 12 fencers vying for individual and team titles this weekend
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Columbia fencing will begin the 2026 NCAA Championships on Thursday, with the women kicking off the four-day event at the Joyce Center on the campus of the University of Notre Dame.
For the first time since 1989, the NCAA will separate men's and women's team champions. On the women's side, the Lions are one of three programs with the full allotment of fencers, joining the Fighting Irish and Northwestern. The Columbia men join Notre Dame and St. John's as the only programs with six total competitors.
The Columbia men have won 11 national championships, including the last three handed out from 1987-89. The women will be in search of their first NCAA title after helping the Lions to five combined championships from 1992-2019.
The women's round-robin bouts will take place on Thursday, beginning at 9 a.m., featuring three rounds per weapon. After two more rounds on Friday morning, the top four finishers will advance to the semifinals, which are slated to start at 1:30 p.m. The men will follow the same schedule on Saturday and Sunday. A live feed of the preliminary rounds can be seen via FightingIrish.com. The semifinal and final bouts will be available on ESPN+ on Friday and Sunday.
Both squads have been ranked at the top of the USFCA Coaches Poll for the majority of the season. The Lions saw eight individuals at NCAA Regionals reach the podium two weeks ago, highlighted by gold medals from Tierna Oxenreider (women's epee) and Zander Rhodes (women's foil). Columbia won the men's and women's team Ivy League titles on February 8, saw Carolina Stutchbury win the individual women's foil title, and 10 others went on to earn All-Ivy League honors. In the regular season, the Lion women were 28-1 in dual matches, and the men posted a 24-3 mark.
Last season, Columbia was the runner-up in the combined team portion. Eight of Columbia's fencers competing have NCAA Championship experience and have gone on to earn All-America honors at least once in their careers. Oxenreider and Rhodes are three-time All-Americans, and each reached the championship rounds in 2025. They were joined on the podium by Stutchbury, who tied with Rhodes for third, in her NCAA debut last year.
The championship includes individual events in each of six weapons (men's epee, men's foil, men's saber, women's epee, women's foil and women's saber). Fencers will compete in a round-robin format of five-touch bouts. After the round robins, the top four finishers in each weapon will fence in semifinal 15-touch bouts, with winners fencing to determine first and second places and non-advancing fencers being awarded a tie for third place.
An institution's place finish in the championships will be based on points earned by each individual. A team will be awarded one point for each victory by its student-athletes during the round-robin competition.
Follow The Lions
For the latest on Columbia's fencing programs, follow @CULionsFencing on X, Instagram and the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
For the first time since 1989, the NCAA will separate men's and women's team champions. On the women's side, the Lions are one of three programs with the full allotment of fencers, joining the Fighting Irish and Northwestern. The Columbia men join Notre Dame and St. John's as the only programs with six total competitors.
The Columbia men have won 11 national championships, including the last three handed out from 1987-89. The women will be in search of their first NCAA title after helping the Lions to five combined championships from 1992-2019.
The women's round-robin bouts will take place on Thursday, beginning at 9 a.m., featuring three rounds per weapon. After two more rounds on Friday morning, the top four finishers will advance to the semifinals, which are slated to start at 1:30 p.m. The men will follow the same schedule on Saturday and Sunday. A live feed of the preliminary rounds can be seen via FightingIrish.com. The semifinal and final bouts will be available on ESPN+ on Friday and Sunday.
Both squads have been ranked at the top of the USFCA Coaches Poll for the majority of the season. The Lions saw eight individuals at NCAA Regionals reach the podium two weeks ago, highlighted by gold medals from Tierna Oxenreider (women's epee) and Zander Rhodes (women's foil). Columbia won the men's and women's team Ivy League titles on February 8, saw Carolina Stutchbury win the individual women's foil title, and 10 others went on to earn All-Ivy League honors. In the regular season, the Lion women were 28-1 in dual matches, and the men posted a 24-3 mark.
Last season, Columbia was the runner-up in the combined team portion. Eight of Columbia's fencers competing have NCAA Championship experience and have gone on to earn All-America honors at least once in their careers. Oxenreider and Rhodes are three-time All-Americans, and each reached the championship rounds in 2025. They were joined on the podium by Stutchbury, who tied with Rhodes for third, in her NCAA debut last year.
The championship includes individual events in each of six weapons (men's epee, men's foil, men's saber, women's epee, women's foil and women's saber). Fencers will compete in a round-robin format of five-touch bouts. After the round robins, the top four finishers in each weapon will fence in semifinal 15-touch bouts, with winners fencing to determine first and second places and non-advancing fencers being awarded a tie for third place.
An institution's place finish in the championships will be based on points earned by each individual. A team will be awarded one point for each victory by its student-athletes during the round-robin competition.
Follow The Lions
For the latest on Columbia's fencing programs, follow @CULionsFencing on X, Instagram and the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
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