Sunday, March 8
New York, N.Y.
All Day
Columbia
vs
NCAA Northeast Regionals
Photo by: Ivy League
Oxenreider and Rhodes Take Gold to Lead Fencing at NCAA Regionals
3/8/2026 9:17:00 PM | Fencing
The Lions had six medalists at the event, which is the final chance to earn NCAA Championship bids
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. — Columbia fencing's Tierna Oxenreider and Zander Rhodes picked up gold medals, while four Lions earned bronze to cap a successful day at the NCAA Northeast Regionals on Sunday.
The quartet of Samarth Kumbla (men's foil), Sumin Lee (women's epee), Skyler Liverant (men's epee) and Zeyad Nofal (men's sabre) rounded out Columbia's top-three finishers.
The Lions will now await NCAA Championship bids, which will be announced on Tuesday, March 10, when NCAA Championship selections are posted.
Columbia had four women's foilists qualify for the finals, where Rhodes shined. The senior went 10-for-11 down the stretch to claim the third Regional gold medal of her career. Carolina Stutchbury had a strong day, going 18-5 in three rounds and Nadia Hayes claimed sixth with a 15-8 record. Strong early stages led Evelyn Cheng to the last round where she finished 10th.
All four competitors in women's epee also reached the final stages of the event, highlighted by Oxenreider's near-perfect 22-1 record, which helped her successfully defend her gold medal from a year ago. Sumin Lee's 17-6 mark helped her reach the podium for the first time in her young career. Nicole Xuan placed fourth, while Barbara Bezuglaya rounded out the unit with a 12th-place finish.
Men's epee's final round capped the meet. Liverant's 17-6 record put him in third place in epee to put him back on the podium at Regionals for the first time since 2023. Columbia had four fencers reach the final stage in the discipline, with Sasha Bezrodnov taking sixth, Julien Lim placing 10th and Misha Bezrodnov finishing 11th.
Kumbla picked up his second consecutive Northeast Regional bronze with a 17-6 record in men's foil. The junior went 6-0 to start things off, followed by a 4-2 performance to reach the final pools, where he finished 7-4.
Nofal gave the Lions their first medal of the event in men's sabre after posting a 17-7 mark in the competition. The junior started 3-3, but improved as the day went on and finished with an 8-3 mark in the final pool of the day to earn a spot on the podium. Sophomore Will Morrill took fifth place, while senior Colby Harley placed 10th.
Women's sabre was the first weapon to wrap up on the day. The Lions had two representatives in the final round of the day, highlighted by a seventh-place finish from Tamar Gordon, followed by an eighth-place performance from Janna Freedman.
The 2026 NCAA Division I National Championships will take place at Notre Dame from March 19-22. This year, the NCAA will separate men's and women's team champions for the first time since 1989.
Follow The Lions
For the latest on Columbia's fencing programs, follow @CULionsFencing on X, Instagram and the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
COLUMBIA NCAA REGIONAL RESULTS
WOMEN'S SABRE
Tamar Gordon - 14-9 (7th place)
Freedman - 12-11 (8th place)
Yang - 8-4 (13th place)
Szeto - 8-9 (20th place)
WOMEN'S FOIL
Zander Rhodes - 21-2 (1st place)
Carolina Stutchbury - 18-5 (4th place)
Nadia Hayes - 15- 8 (6th place)
Evelyn Cheng - 11-12 (10th place)
WOMEN'S EPEE
Tierna Oxenreider - 22-1 (1st place)
Sumin Lee - 17-6 (3rd place)
Nicole Xuan - 14-9 (4th place)
Barbara Bezuglaya - 9-14 (12th place)
MEN'S SABRE
Zeyad Nofal - 17-7 (3rd place)
Will Morrill - 18-6 (5th place)
Colby Harley - 12-13 (10th place)
Nick Harvey - 2-4 (30th place)
MEN'S FOIL
Samarth Kumbla - 17-6 (3rd place)
Marsel Nagimov - 6-6 (16th place)
Caleb Jeon - 2-4 (23rd place)
MEN'S EPEE
Skyler Liverant - 17-6 (3rd place)
Sasha Bezrodnov - 14-9 (6th place)
Julien Lim- 10-13 (10th place)
Misha Bezrodnov - 8-15 (11th place)
Luka Loncar - 6-6 (14th place)
The quartet of Samarth Kumbla (men's foil), Sumin Lee (women's epee), Skyler Liverant (men's epee) and Zeyad Nofal (men's sabre) rounded out Columbia's top-three finishers.
The Lions will now await NCAA Championship bids, which will be announced on Tuesday, March 10, when NCAA Championship selections are posted.
Columbia had four women's foilists qualify for the finals, where Rhodes shined. The senior went 10-for-11 down the stretch to claim the third Regional gold medal of her career. Carolina Stutchbury had a strong day, going 18-5 in three rounds and Nadia Hayes claimed sixth with a 15-8 record. Strong early stages led Evelyn Cheng to the last round where she finished 10th.
All four competitors in women's epee also reached the final stages of the event, highlighted by Oxenreider's near-perfect 22-1 record, which helped her successfully defend her gold medal from a year ago. Sumin Lee's 17-6 mark helped her reach the podium for the first time in her young career. Nicole Xuan placed fourth, while Barbara Bezuglaya rounded out the unit with a 12th-place finish.
Men's epee's final round capped the meet. Liverant's 17-6 record put him in third place in epee to put him back on the podium at Regionals for the first time since 2023. Columbia had four fencers reach the final stage in the discipline, with Sasha Bezrodnov taking sixth, Julien Lim placing 10th and Misha Bezrodnov finishing 11th.
Kumbla picked up his second consecutive Northeast Regional bronze with a 17-6 record in men's foil. The junior went 6-0 to start things off, followed by a 4-2 performance to reach the final pools, where he finished 7-4.
Nofal gave the Lions their first medal of the event in men's sabre after posting a 17-7 mark in the competition. The junior started 3-3, but improved as the day went on and finished with an 8-3 mark in the final pool of the day to earn a spot on the podium. Sophomore Will Morrill took fifth place, while senior Colby Harley placed 10th.
Women's sabre was the first weapon to wrap up on the day. The Lions had two representatives in the final round of the day, highlighted by a seventh-place finish from Tamar Gordon, followed by an eighth-place performance from Janna Freedman.
The 2026 NCAA Division I National Championships will take place at Notre Dame from March 19-22. This year, the NCAA will separate men's and women's team champions for the first time since 1989.
Follow The Lions
For the latest on Columbia's fencing programs, follow @CULionsFencing on X, Instagram and the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
COLUMBIA NCAA REGIONAL RESULTS
WOMEN'S SABRE
Tamar Gordon - 14-9 (7th place)
Freedman - 12-11 (8th place)
Yang - 8-4 (13th place)
Szeto - 8-9 (20th place)
WOMEN'S FOIL
Zander Rhodes - 21-2 (1st place)
Carolina Stutchbury - 18-5 (4th place)
Nadia Hayes - 15- 8 (6th place)
Evelyn Cheng - 11-12 (10th place)
WOMEN'S EPEE
Tierna Oxenreider - 22-1 (1st place)
Sumin Lee - 17-6 (3rd place)
Nicole Xuan - 14-9 (4th place)
Barbara Bezuglaya - 9-14 (12th place)
MEN'S SABRE
Zeyad Nofal - 17-7 (3rd place)
Will Morrill - 18-6 (5th place)
Colby Harley - 12-13 (10th place)
Nick Harvey - 2-4 (30th place)
MEN'S FOIL
Samarth Kumbla - 17-6 (3rd place)
Marsel Nagimov - 6-6 (16th place)
Caleb Jeon - 2-4 (23rd place)
MEN'S EPEE
Skyler Liverant - 17-6 (3rd place)
Sasha Bezrodnov - 14-9 (6th place)
Julien Lim- 10-13 (10th place)
Misha Bezrodnov - 8-15 (11th place)
Luka Loncar - 6-6 (14th place)
Players Mentioned
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