Notre Dame men’s and women’s fencing each win NCAA Championship

Notre Dame men’s and women’s fencing each win NCAA Championship

Last Updated: March 23, 2026By

(Notre Dame) — For the first time since 1990, the NCAA is holding separate men’s and women’s fencing championships.

That means twice the titles for the host school, Notre Dame.

Friday, the Irish women rallied on the second day of competition to get past Columbia, 102-99, earning the school’s first exclusive women’s fencing championship since 1987.  Notre Dame had won 11 co-ed championships, including six of the last eight.

Sunday, the Notre Dame men claimed their national title, outdistancing Columbia, 91-81, to grab the crown. The 16 fencing national championships represent the most by any team in Notre Dame athletics history. The pair of national titles this weekend give the Fighting Irish a total of 38 team national championships

On the women’s side, Notre Dame’s Hungarian senior Eszter Muhari dominated the epee competition, blasting Princeton’s Hadley Husisian in the finals, 13-1. The Irish also took second and third in the women’s sabre. Portland, Oregon native Magd Skarbokiewicz lost the championship match to Ohio State’s Natalia Botello, 15-5, while her fellow Oregonian Siobhan Sullivan lost to Botello, 15-11, in the semifinals.

As for the men, Egyptian sophomore Ahmed Hesham won the sabre NCAA individual title with a 15-12 triumph over St. John’s Adham Moataz in the finals. For Hesham, it’s his first career individual national title after finishing third a year ago.

The Irish claimed silver in the other weapons as Kruz Schembri (epee) and Chase Emmer (foil) both earned first-team All-American status for finishing runner-up in their respective weapons.

Notre Dame head coach Gia Kvaratskhelia now has eight national championships since taking over the program in 2014. That’s the most for any Notre Dame head coach in history.

 

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