Columbia University Athletics

Seoung Woo Lee joined the national champion Columbia Fencing staff as its foil/epee coach in February 2012. Formerly the head coach of the Korean National Senior Women's Foil team, Lee has extensive coaching experience with junior and cadet foil and epee students.
 
Under Lee’s tutelage in both foil and epee, Columbia has claimed three NCAA team Championships in the last five seasons (2015, 2016, 2019), while a variety of fencers have claimed national titles and All-America honors. Four Columbia fencers have won five national championships under Lee’s direction including Jake Hoyle (2015 and 2016 men’s epee champion), Iman Blow (2018 women’s foil), Sylvie Binder (2019 women’s foil), and Anne Cebula (2019 women’s epee).
 
Columbia found much success in 2018-19 as it reclaimed the NCAA National Championship as well as both the women's and men's outright titles for the first time since 2008.  The historically strong Lions women's foil squad, found themselves on top of the podium as Sylvie Binder captured the NCAA individual foil championship and placed third at both Northeast Regionals and NCAA Nationals. Iman Blow claimed gold at Northeast Regionals, and bronze at NCAA Nationals. On the men's side, Sidarth Kumbla and Sam Moelis finished No. 1 and No. 2 at Northeast Regionals, while Kumbla placed third at NCAA Nationals. Ten of the 12 Lions that competed at NCAA Nationals were named to All-American teams.
 
In 2017-18, Blow claimed the women’s individual foil championship in 2018 as she became the first women’s national champion since Nicole Ross in 2010. Additionally, Moelis took second place and Kumbla third place in men’s foil to help lead Columbia to a second place finish at the NCAA Championship team competition.
 
In 2016, Columbia captured its second-straight NCAA Championship as seven fencers earned All-America honors in both foil and epee. Jackie Dubrovich (women’s foil), Mason Speta (women’s epee), Adam Mathieu (men’s foil) and Jake Hoyle (men’s epee) were all named First Team All-America, Sara Taffel (women’s foil) and Harry Bergman (men’s foil) earned Second Team All-America accolades, and Porter Hesslegrave picked up honorable mention All-America honors. Hoyle led the way for Columbia, picking up his second-consecutive NCAA Individual title in men's epee, while Dubrovich rounded out her collegiate career with the silver medal in women's foil at the NCAA Championships. The Lions also worked their way to a three-way tie for the Ivy League Championship on both the men's and women's side at the Ivy League Round Robins while Dubrovich led the way with an unblemished 18-0 performance to claim the Ivy League Championship title in women's foil.
 
In his third season at Columbia, the Lions captured the 2015 NCAA National Championship, the program’s 14^th all-time title and first since 1993. 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. At the NCAA Championship, Margaret Lu earned women’s foil runner-up honors, Jake Hoyle captured the men’s epee individual championship, and Brian Ro was the men’s epee bronze medalist. Additionally, nine Lions garnered All-American honors, the most for the program since 2007.
 
In 2013-14, Columbia’s men’s team hoisted the Ivy League trophy, finished first at the Round-Robins and concluded the year with a 29-3 overall record, while the women posted a third place showing against Ancient Eight foes and finished 24-3 overall. For their efforts against the Ivies, six men and three women garnered All-Ivy League status. Lee’s second campaign also saw the men’s squad place atop the national rankings for the first time in program history. At NCAAs, Columbia finished seventh for the second consecutive year and four Lions picked up All-American honors.
 
Lee’s first season included second-place finishes by both the men’s and women’s teams at the Ivy League Championships. Five men and seven women earned All-Ivy League honors for the 2012-13 season. The 2013 NCAA Championships concluded with a seventh-place finish for the Lions, alongside an individual silver-medal finish from Jackie Dubrovich and five All-American honorees. 
 
Before working at Columbia, Lee served as a coach at the Fencers Club and Peter Westbrook Foundation in New York City. Coaching epee and foil, he has trained a number of Olympic Medalists and World Champions. Prior to coaching in New York, Lee coached in his native South Korea and led the Korean National Women's Foil team from 2005-06.

From 1998-2004, Lee coached foil and epee at the Paris University Club in France. While in France, Lee received a Master's diploma from the rigorous and demanding program of the National Masters Fencing Academy of France, in both foil epee and sabre. He also holds diplomas from both the Korean National Sport University and the Korean National Masters Fencing Academy.

Fluent in three languages including Korean, English and French, Lee resides in Northern New Jersey.