Columbia University Athletics

THE AUFRICHTIG FILE
Date Announced as Columbia Head Coach: June 28, 2011
Hometown: Shreveport, Louisiana
Education: Bachelor of Arts, Marketing & Business, New York University, 1994.
Family: Wife Sylwia, son Leonardo,
 
Coaching Experience
Head Fencing Coach, Columbia University, 2011-current
Member of the Board of Directors, USA Fencing, 2014-16
Fencing Chairman, New York Athletic Club, 2006-current
Director of NYAC Fencing Program, 2006-11
 
Fencing Career
Fenced four years at New York University (1990-94) … Qualified two times for the NCAA Championships … Named team Most Valuable Fencer as a senior in 1993-94 … Served as team captain as a senior in 1993-94.
 
FENCING ACHIEVEMENT UNDER AUFRICHTIG
National Team NCAA Championships: 3 (2015, 2016, 2019)
Individual National Champions: 7
Total All-America Honors: 98
Men’s All-America Honors: 48 (9)
Women’s All-America Honors: 52 (13)
Total Ivy League Championships: 14
Men’s Ivy League Titles: 8
Women’s Ivy League Titles: 6
Individual Men’s Ivy League Champions: 5
Individual Women’s Ivy League Champions: 6
Men’s All-Ivy League Honorees: 60
Women’s All-Ivy League Honorees: 42
 
COLUMBIA FENCING UNDER AUFRICHTIG

	NCAA			Ivy League		Women	Men
Year	Finish	Points	Qualifiers	Women	Men	W-L	W-L
2011-12	8th	97	9	2nd/5-1	3rd/2-3	13-5	8-10
2012-13	7th	117	11	2nd/5-1	T-2nd/3-2	22-4	16-9
2013-14	7th	107	10	3rd/4-2	T-1st/4-1	23-7	27-3
2014-15	1st	165	12	1st/6-0	T-1st/4-1	26-1	18-6
2015-16	1st	174	12	T-1st/5-1	T-1st/4-1	25-2	19-6
2016-17	3rd	152	12	2nd/5-1	T-1st/4-1	31-2	25-6
2017-18	2nd	170	12	1st/6-0	T-1st/4-1	26-3	20-7
2018-19	1st	178	12	1st/6-0	1st/5-0	19-7	21-3
^2019-20	--	--	11	1st/6-0	2nd/4-1	20-5	20-5
*2020-21	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
2021-22	3rd	168	12	2nd/4-2	1st/4-0	28-6-1	27-5
2022-23	3rd	156	12	2nd/5-1	2nd/3-1	37-3	25-6
2023-24	3rd	149	11	T-1st/5-1	T-1st/3-1	36-4	36-4
2024-25	2nd	172	12	2nd/5-1	2nd/3-1	33-2	28-3
Totals	3 titles	--	112	6 titles	8 titles	339-51-1	288-73

 
^NCAA Division I Championships canceled due to COVID-19
*season canceled due to COVID-19
 
As one of the most knowledgeable and well-connected figures in fencing, in New York City and across the nation, Michael Aufrichtig is in his 14^th year as the head men’s and women’s fencing coach at Columbia University.
 
After being named to his current position on June 28, 2011, Aufichtig has built Columbia Fencing into a national power. Since 2011, Aufrichtig has guided Columbia Fencing to three national team championships (2015, 2016, 2019), 14 total Ivy League team titles, including eight men’s titles and six women’s titles, and countless No. 1 national rankings on both the men’s and women’s sides. In addition, the Lions have claimed three NCAA fencing titles since 2015 and have finished no lower than third place at the NCAA Fencing championships since the 2014-15 season. On an individual scale, seven fencers have claimed individual national championships, 98 have earned All-America honors, 148 fencers out of a possible 168 spots have qualified for the NCAA Championships, seven have won Ivy League titles, and 102 earned All-Ivy League honorees.
 
This unprecedented success took Aufrichtig only four years to achieve as he guided Columbia Fencing to its first NCAA Championship in 22 years as the Lions claimed the 2015 team title. Then, the Lions won the NCAA title again in 2016, marking the first time the program attained back-to-back national championships since 1992 and 1993. Aufrichtig’s third national championship came three years later as the Lions turned in a dominant performance in 2019.
 
Aufrichtig has also restored Columbia’s dominance in Ivy League fencing. He led the men’s team to six consecutive from 2014-19, while the women’s squad has claimed five championships including back-to-back titles in 2015 and 2016 and then three straight from 2018-20. The 2018-19 season marked the first time both the men's and women's squads won outright Ivy League Round Robin titles together since 2008.
 
Aufrichtig holds a career record of 627-124-1 (.836 winning percentage) in total dual fencing matches at Columbia. That mark currently ranks first among all-time fencing coaches at Columbia.
 
A four-time Ivy League Coach of the Year honoree (three-time women, one-time men) and recipient of the 2016 USA Fencing Coaches Association Varsity Coach of the Year award, Aufrichtig has also overseen the development and renovation of Columbia’s Fencing Room at Dodge Fitness Center. With the installation of first-of-its-kind shock-absorbent floors in October 2018, Columbia fencers enjoy a state-of-the-art fencing facility.
 
For the last 15 years, Aufrichtig has served as the Chairman of the New York Athletic Club Fencing program. As the Director of the NYAC Fencing Program, one of the most notable fencing organizations in the world, Aufrichtig manages the coaching staff, budgets, practice times, travel arrangements, and recruiting of the 55 athletes that compete with NYAC Fencing. He founded the NYAC Men's Epee High School Invitational in 2001, the strongest men's epee high school competition in the United States. He also served as the 2009 Women's Epee coach at the World Championships in Antalya, Turkey.
 
During his tenure with the NYAC, the NYAC Fencing program has achieved unprecedented success. At the 2011 National Championships, the NYAC won five national championships, three silver medals, and two bronze. In 2010, NYAC qualified seven members to the World Championships, more than any other program. Overall, during his affiliation with the NYAC, the organization has won 21 Individual and 25 team National Championships, fielded 51 USA World Team Members, 11 Olympians, winning two bronze four silver and eight gold world team medals, and three individuals winning an Olympic bronze team medal. In 2019, the NYAC qualified six of the 24 USA World Team Members.
 
On an international scale, Aufrichtig served on the USA Fencing Board of Directors from 2014-16, was the 2012 USA Olympic Fencing Coach for Modern Pentathlon and served as the 2009 USA Women’s Epee World Team Coach.
 
Aufrichtig fenced at New York University, and graduated from the Stern School of Business in 1994. He worked as a senior account executive at Advanced Solutions International from 2007, while also serving as Chairman of the NYAC Fencing program. From 2001-06, he worked for Kintera, Inc. in enterprise sales. Aufrichtig also worked for Blade Fencing Equipment, Inc. from 1993-2000.
 
Within Columbia’s athletic department, Aufrichtig serves on the We Roar Together Committee on Diversity, Racial Justice, Equity, and Inclusion.
 
Aufrichtig resides in Morningside Heights with his wife Sylwia and son Leonardo.
 
YEAR-BY-YEAR WITH MICHAEL AUFRICHTIG
 
In 2024-25, Columbia earned a second-place finish at the NCAA Championships, the highest for the program since 2019. The Lions saw 10 of their 12 NCAA qualifiers reach All-America status, highlighted by Tierna Oxenreider's second consecutive silver in women's epee and women's foilists Zander Rhodes and Carolina Stutchbury pick up bronze. The men's side swept the individual Ivy League weapon titles, with Justin Haddad (epee), Samarth Kumbla (foil) and Will Morrill (sabre) earning the top spots. Additionally, Oxenreider picked up the women's epee individual crown at Round Robins.

The Lions returned to the top of the Ivy League in 2023-24, earning both the men's and women's conference titles while hosting the Ivy League Round Robin Championships. First-year Samarth Kumbla took the individual Ancient Eight men's foil crown and seven individuals went on to earn All-Ivy League honors. With 11 of 12 qualifiers at the NCAA Championships, Columbia placed third at the event and saw nine of its 11 qualifiers earn All-America status, highlighted by runner-up finishes by Kumbla and Tierna Oxenreider (women's epee) and a bronze medal performance from Vera Kong (women's sabre). In addition, the Lions posted a trio of medalists at the NCAA Regionals and the men's team established a program record with 34 dual meet wins.

Columbia posted another top-three NCAA finish in 2022-23, highlighted by Nora Burke’s individual gold at the NCAA Championships in women’s sabre, which marked the fourth consecutive year the program boasted an individual champion when it participated at the event. Eight went on to pick up All-America status, including a bronze medal performance from Teddy Lombardo in epee. Additionally, Zander Rhodes placed first at NCAA Regionals in foil and Burke picked up the individual Ancient Eight sabre title. The women’s squad’s 37-3 dual record set a program record for most wins in a season, marking the third time Aufrichtig has guided the squad to a new wins benchmark.
 
After the 2020-21 campaign was wiped out due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Columbia came back strong in 2021-22. The Lions saw Ashton Daniel win individual men’s foil titles at the NCAA Championships and Ivy League Round Robins. As a team, Columbia placed third nationally and the men’s squad picked up another Ancient Eight title after posting a 4-0 record. Daniel, who became the first individual Ivy League Champion in Aufrichtig’s tenure, took down his teammate, Sidarth Kumbla, in the finals of the NCAA’s and Nora Burke reached the semifinals in women’s sabre in a year the Lions posted eight All-Americans. Additionally, Teddy Lombardo was a gold medalist in men’s epee at the NCAA Northeast Regional.
 
The 2019-20 NCAA Championships were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Lions put together a successful campaign as two fencers captured Northeast Regional titles (Giana Vierheller and Christopher Walker) and 11 fencers qualified for the event. Columbia’s women’s team won their third straight Ivy League title. Columbia would have entered the national championships as the No. 1 ranked men’s team and No. 2 ranked women’s team in the nation. In all, 11 fencers earned USFCA All-America honors.
 
Columbia’s 2018-19 fencing season marked another historic year for the program as Aufrichtig led the Lions to outright Ivy League titles, regional championship medals, and the overall national title. Columbia fencing claimed two individual golds at NCAA’s as Sylvie Binder topped the women's foil podium, while Anne Cebula won the women's epee competition. Cebula became the first woman to win the individual epee title in Columbia history and the first Barnard woman to earn an individual title since the Columbia-Barnard Athletic Consortium began in the mid-1980s. Ten of the 12 fencers who competed in the NCAA Championships were named All-Americans. Aufrichtig also earned the Ivy League Women's Fencing Coach of the Year Award.

Columbia finished the 2017-18 season in second-place nationally following a successful regular season. Iman Blow claimed the women’s foil title at NCAA Championships, while Sam Moelis finished second overall. The Lions won both men's and women's Ivy League titles, with the women taking the trophy outright.
 
In 2016-17, Aufrichtig led the Lions to a third-place finish at NCAA Championships. The men's team captured their fourth consecutive Ivy League title. Columbia overqualified for NCAA Championships, with 18 fencers eligible to fill the maximum of 12 spots. At the NCAA Championships, six Lions earned All-American honors. Nolen Scruggs and Margaret Lu advanced to the individual foil semifinals, with Scruggs taking home silver and Lu finishing with a bronze. Both the men's and women's teams did finish the 2017 regular season ranked No. 1 in the country in the CollegeFencing360 Coach’s Poll. The men (25-6) continued its strong hold on the Ivy League capturing their fourth straight conference title at the 2017 Ivy League Championships. The women had a stellar 2017 regular season as they finished with a 31-2 clip.
 
In 2015-16, Aufrichtig led the Lions to their second-straight NCAA National Championship, while Jake Hoyle won his second consecutive NCAA individual title in men's epee to round out his collegiate career. With the maximum 12 fencers qualified for the national championship, the Lions were able to take home 10 All-American honors. The men's team went on to finish as the No. 1 ranked team in the nation, marking the ninth time in program history and sixth-straight poll, while the women's team ended the year ranked second overall. Columbia also retained the top spot in the Ivy League in 2016, forcing a three-way tie for first in both the men's and women's side for the first time since 1999. For the men, the Ancient Eight title marked the third straight year the Lions were at the top of the podium while the women picked up their second-straight title. Leading the way was senior Jackie Dubrovich, who was crowned the Ivy League Women's Foil champion after a dominating 18-0 performance at the Ivy League Round-Robins. Dubrovich rounded out her senior year with an impressive 99-4 overall record while claiming gold at the NCAA Northeast Regional and a silver at the NCAA Championships in women's foil.
 
In his fourth season, Aufrichtig led Columbia to the top the fencing world as 2015 NCAA National Champions. The title marked Columbia's first national championship under the guidance of Aufrichtig, the program’s 14^th overall national title and first since 1993. A team national title was not the only championship that Columbia left Columbus, Ohio, with as Jake Hoyle captured the men's epee individual title, Margaret Lu was the women's foil runner-up and Brian Ro earned the Bronze medal in men's epee. The journey to the national championship began with 12 student-athletes qualifying for nationals, the most individual qualifiers for the program since 2008. Additionally, nine Lions garnered All-American honors, the most for the program since 2007. For the first time in both program and Ivy League history, the men's and women's teams were ranked No. 1 simultaneously, a feat that had not been accomplished by any program since 2012. Aufrichtig's program was also dominant against Ancient Eight foes as both teams won Ivy League titles for the first time since 2008. This was the second straight Ivy League Championship for the men, while the women secured their first title since 2008. Additionally, the women's team went 26-1 to establish a new program record and finished the season on a 21-match win streak. Aufrichtig earned Ivy League Co-Women's Coach of the Year. 
 
The 2013-14 season saw the men's team hoist the Ivy League trophy with a first-place finish at the Round-Robins and 29-3 overall record, while the women posted a third place showing against Ancient Eight foes and finished 24-3 overall.
 
Aufrightig's third campaign also saw the men's squad earn a No. 1 national ranking for the first time in program history. At NCAA the 2012-13 NCAA Championship, four Lions picked up All-American honors. Aufrichtig was voted the Elite Coach Director for USA Fencing in June 2014.
 
Aufrichtig's second season included second place finishes by both the men's and women's teams at the Ivy League Championships. The 2013 NCAA Championships concluded with a seventh-place finish for the Lions, alongside an individual silver-medal finish from Jackie Dubrovich.
 
In his first year at the helm, Aufrichtig revitalized Columbia's fencing program. In 2011-12, the Lions men had their best finish at the Ivy League Championships in four years and the women finished just one win away from taking home the league title. At the Ivy League Championships, Will Spear was named the Most Outstanding Performer of the Meet on the men's side and the Ivy League Rookie of the Year. Spear was one of five All-Americans for Columbia in 2011-12, including national runner-up Alen Hadzic in men's epee.