Thursday, March 19
South Bend, Ind.
Ohio State
vs
NCAA Championships
Buckeyes Head to NCAA Championships
3/17/2026 5:52:00 PM | Fencing
Seven Ohio State fencerse will compete this week
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Seven Ohio State fencers will compete in the 2026 NCAA Championships this week in Notre Dame, Ind. The women's championships will be Thursday and Friday, with the men competing Saturday and Sunday.
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Links for live results and video and championship information is available on the Championship Central page.
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The Schedule and Format
Women
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Links for live results and video and championship information is available on the Championship Central page.
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The Schedule and Format
- 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. An awards ceremony for the Top 3 teams, individual champions and Top 8 finishers will follow the finals.
- Round robin bouts will be streamed through the host website on FightingIrish.com. 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.
- 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.
- For the first time since 1984, separate men's and women's fencing team championships will be awarded. The NCAA recognized women's team champions in 1982 and '83 before the combined team titles began.
- In all, 144 fencers earned a berth in the national championships. Each program could qualify no more than two fencers per gender in each weapon.
Women
- Epee: Gloria Klughardt (Sr., Cracow, Poland) – Now a two-time NCAA qualifier, finishing 15th in debut in 2025 during first NCAA season … 2025 CCFC Champion … two-time All-CCFC (first team 2025, second team 2026) … two-time Second Team All-Midwest Region (2025, '26) …  fifth at 2026 NCAA Regionals and was third in 2025 … member of Poland Senior National Team and part of the team gold medal winning squad at the Wuxi World Cup in May 2025.
- Epee: Marie-Frederique Millette (So., Longueuil, Quebec) – Making NCAA debut … Second Team All-CCFC in 2025 and '26 … 11th at 2026 NCAA Midwest Regionals and was eighth a season ago … 2025 Ohio State Scholar-Athlete … member of the Canadian Senior National Team.
- Sabre: Natalia Botello (Jr., Mexico) - 2025 First Team All-American after earning bronze at NCAA Championships in first season competing in the NCAA … 2025 USFCA Sabre Newcomer of the Year … two-time CCFC sabre champion (2025, '26) and earned First Team All-CCFC and First Team All-Midwest Region accolades in 2025 and 2026 … 2026 NCAA Midwest Regional Champion after earning silver in 2025 … team captain … member of Mexico Senior National Team; finished second at Senior PanAmerican Championships in 2025 and placed in the Top 32 at the Tbilisi Senior World Championships in 2025.
- Foil: Albert Bagdány (Jr., Szigetszentmiklós, Hungary) – In first NCAA season … tied for third at CCFC Championships … First Team All-CCFC and Second Team All-Midwest Region.
- Epee: Viktor Kulcsar (So., Budapest, Hungary) – Secured first NCAA berth this year … Second Team All-Region honoree in 2026 … fifth at NCAA Regionals this season and was 11th last year … 2025 Second Team All-CCFC … seventh at conference championships last season.
- Foil: Solin Li (Sr., Beijing, China) - 2025 Honorable Mention All-American after finishing 11th in first NCAA appearance … two-time CCFC Champion (2023, '26); silver medalist in 2025 and fifth in 2024 … bronze medalist at NCAA Regionals in both 2025 and '26 … three-time First Team All-CCFC (2023, '25, '26) and earned Second Team All-Midwest Region honors in 2025 and '26.
- Epee: Matthew Bülau (Sr., Heidenheim, Germany) – First time NCAA qualifier … Buckeye team captain … 2026 Second Team All-Midwest Region … sixth at NCAA Regionals this season … bronze medalist at 2023 CCFC Championships … member of German Senior National Team and won the individual silver medal at the Junior European Championships in 2025.
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- Ohio State won combined NCAA team titles in 2004, 2008 and 2012 and the men's national crown in 1942.
- Ohio State finished fifth as a team at both the 2022 and 2023 NCAA Championships and was sixth in 2024 and 2025.
- Buckeyes have claimed 18 individual NCAA titles – five in men's epee, one in women's epee, seven in men's foil, two in women's foil and three in men's sabre.
Players Mentioned
Sabre
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Epee
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Foil
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