Sunday, March 22
Notre Dame, Ind.
All Day
Columbia
vs
NCAA Men's Championships Day 2 (Hosted by Notre Dame)
Photo by: Columbia University Athletics / Stockton Photo, Inc.
Samarth Kumbla Wins Individual Men's Foil Title to Cap NCAA Championships
3/22/2026 5:25:00 PM | Fencing
Kumbla becomes the Lions’ first individual men’s national champion since 2022
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Columbia's Samarth Kumbla captured the NCAA men's foil title to headline the final day of the 2026 NCAA Fencing Championships, hosted by Notre Dame.
Kumbla led a strong showing for the Lions, who also saw Marsel Nagimov (foil) and Will Morrill (sabre) earn third-place finishes and First Team All-America honors. Sophomore Zeyad Nofal placed ninth to collect honorable mention recognition.
As a team, Columbia finished second with 81 victories, trailing host Notre Dame, which totaled 91.
"We're so excited for Sam for taking the foil crown," said head coach Michael Aufrichtig. "He works so hard and is deserving of having this moment. The team continued to battle, and I could not be prouder of the way they finished. Even in spots where we were down, we kept pushing through and never gave up. To see our record in those final rounds shows a lot about the pride they have in themselves and our program."
Kumbla became the program's first men's NCAA champion since 2022, when Ashton Daniel won the foil crown, and the 31st NCAA champion in the men's program history.
"I'm so happy, especially having my entire team here," Kumbla said to the ESPN+ broadcast after the championship. "To be able to bring (this title) home and see them just as excited as I am means the world to me. I have an amazing team, coaches, my parents and my brother. This is everything I could have asked for in a fencing career."
Nagimov entered the direct elimination rounds as the No. 2 seed after going 6-2 in his final preliminary bouts to finish 16-7 overall. Kumbla secured the No. 3 seed at 15-8, setting up an all-Columbia semifinal.
The teammates delivered a tightly contested bout. Tied 14-14, Kumbla scored the decisive touch to advance to the championship, where he faced defending champion Chase Emmer of Notre Dame.
Kumbla took control early in the final, building a 7-2 lead. Emmer responded with four straight touches, but Kumbla answered with a 6-1 run to regain command and closed out a 15-8 victory to claim the national title.
In sabre, Morrill was dominant in pool play, going 4-0 in round four and 3-1 in his final preliminary bouts, finishing 21-2 and earning the No. 1 seed entering the semifinals. He met Adam Moataz of St. John's in a back-and-forth semifinal. After falling behind 10-6, Morrill rallied to tie the score and later took a 14-13 lead, but Moataz scored the final two touches to end Morrill's run.
In epee, Skyler Liverant closed strong, winning four of his final five bouts to finish with eight victories on the weekend. First-year Sasha Bezrodnov also recorded eight wins, using a 3-1 final round to cap his NCAA Championships debut.
Follow The Lions
For the latest on Columbia's fencing programs, follow @CULionsFencing on X, Instagram and the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
Kumbla led a strong showing for the Lions, who also saw Marsel Nagimov (foil) and Will Morrill (sabre) earn third-place finishes and First Team All-America honors. Sophomore Zeyad Nofal placed ninth to collect honorable mention recognition.
As a team, Columbia finished second with 81 victories, trailing host Notre Dame, which totaled 91.
"We're so excited for Sam for taking the foil crown," said head coach Michael Aufrichtig. "He works so hard and is deserving of having this moment. The team continued to battle, and I could not be prouder of the way they finished. Even in spots where we were down, we kept pushing through and never gave up. To see our record in those final rounds shows a lot about the pride they have in themselves and our program."
Kumbla became the program's first men's NCAA champion since 2022, when Ashton Daniel won the foil crown, and the 31st NCAA champion in the men's program history.
"I'm so happy, especially having my entire team here," Kumbla said to the ESPN+ broadcast after the championship. "To be able to bring (this title) home and see them just as excited as I am means the world to me. I have an amazing team, coaches, my parents and my brother. This is everything I could have asked for in a fencing career."
Nagimov entered the direct elimination rounds as the No. 2 seed after going 6-2 in his final preliminary bouts to finish 16-7 overall. Kumbla secured the No. 3 seed at 15-8, setting up an all-Columbia semifinal.
The teammates delivered a tightly contested bout. Tied 14-14, Kumbla scored the decisive touch to advance to the championship, where he faced defending champion Chase Emmer of Notre Dame.
Kumbla took control early in the final, building a 7-2 lead. Emmer responded with four straight touches, but Kumbla answered with a 6-1 run to regain command and closed out a 15-8 victory to claim the national title.
In sabre, Morrill was dominant in pool play, going 4-0 in round four and 3-1 in his final preliminary bouts, finishing 21-2 and earning the No. 1 seed entering the semifinals. He met Adam Moataz of St. John's in a back-and-forth semifinal. After falling behind 10-6, Morrill rallied to tie the score and later took a 14-13 lead, but Moataz scored the final two touches to end Morrill's run.
In epee, Skyler Liverant closed strong, winning four of his final five bouts to finish with eight victories on the weekend. First-year Sasha Bezrodnov also recorded eight wins, using a 3-1 final round to cap his NCAA Championships debut.
Follow The Lions
For the latest on Columbia's fencing programs, follow @CULionsFencing on X, Instagram and the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
Players Mentioned
EPEE
/ Fencing
FOIL
/ Fencing
EPEE
/ Fencing
SABRE
/ Fencing
FOIL
/ Fencing
SABRE
/ FencingHighlight: FENCE | Kumbla Clinches Foil Title
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