Photo by: Ohio State Athletics
Seven Buckeyes Headed to NCAA Championships
3/10/2026 3:55:00 PM | Fencing
Botello, Klughardt and Li making second straight appearances
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Seven Ohio State fencers have been selected for the 2026 NCAA Championships, which will be held March 19-22 in Notre Dame, Ind.
The Buckeye Selections
Senior Gloria Klughardt in women's epee and junior Natalia Botello in women's sabre, who are both in their second year competing in NCAA fencing, are both making a second consecutive trip to the NCAA Championships, while Marie-Frederique Millette earned her first bid in women's epee.
For the men, senior Solin Li was selected for the second year in men's foil and senior epeeist Matthew Bülau will make his first trip to the national event. Sophomore Viktor Kulcsar earned his first berth in men's epee and junior Albert Bagdány, in his first year in NCAA fencing, will make his first appearance.
In her debut last year, Botello was a First Team All-American after tying for third at the NCAA Championships. Klughardt finished 15th in 2025 in her first appearance. Last year, Li earned Honorable Mention All-America honors after placing 11th in his first trip to the NCAA Championships.
The NCAA Format
The Buckeye Selections
Senior Gloria Klughardt in women's epee and junior Natalia Botello in women's sabre, who are both in their second year competing in NCAA fencing, are both making a second consecutive trip to the NCAA Championships, while Marie-Frederique Millette earned her first bid in women's epee.
For the men, senior Solin Li was selected for the second year in men's foil and senior epeeist Matthew Bülau will make his first trip to the national event. Sophomore Viktor Kulcsar earned his first berth in men's epee and junior Albert Bagdány, in his first year in NCAA fencing, will make his first appearance.
In her debut last year, Botello was a First Team All-American after tying for third at the NCAA Championships. Klughardt finished 15th in 2025 in her first appearance. Last year, Li earned Honorable Mention All-America honors after placing 11th in his first trip to the NCAA Championships.
The NCAA Format
- For the first time since the NCAA began sponsoring women's sports, separate men's and women's fencing team championships will be awarded.
- Notre Dame will host all four days of the championship in the Joyce Center and Purcell Pavilion in Notre Dame, Ind.
- The women's event will be held March 19-20, with the men competing March 21-22.
- On the first day of men's and women's competition, rounds 1-3 of epee will start at 9 a.m., with rounds 1-3 of foil beginning at 11 a.m. and rounds 1-3 of sabre starting at 1:30 p.m. Day two of each competition includes rounds 4-5 of all three weapons starting at 9 a.m. The semifinals will be at 1:30 p.m., with the finals to follow.
- The semifinal and championship bouts will be live on ESPN+, with a two-hour edited show airing on ESPNU at 5 p.m. April 1. Round robin bouts will be streamed through the host website on FightingIrish.com.
- Qualification to the NCAA Championships is based on regular season results and NCAA regional finish. No more than two fencers per gender per weapon from a school may be selected.
- At the championships, fencers will compete in a round-robin format of five-touch bouts. After round-robin, the Top 4 finishers in each weapon will fence in semifinal 15-touch bouts, with winners fencing to determine first and second places and non-advancing fencers awarded a tie for third place. An institution's place finish in the championships will be based on points earned by each individual. A team will be awarded one point for each victory by its student-athletes during round-robin competition.
Players Mentioned
Foil
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Sabre
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Epee
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Epee
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Epee
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Foil
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Epee
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