Notre Dame Wins Fifth Straight ACC Women’s Fencing Team Championship
DURHAM, N.C. — The University of Notre Dame won the 2026 Atlantic Coast Conference Women’s Fencing Team Championship, finishing undefeated in conference competition.
The championship followed a round-robin format, with teams competing head-to-head in foil, épée, and sabre. Results from each bout contributed to the overall team standings rather than a traditional elimination bracket.
Participating programs included Duke University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Boston College, Stanford University, and Notre Dame.
Notre Dame captured its 10th ACC women’s team title in the past 12 years and its fifth consecutive championship. The Fighting Irish won all four dual meets, clinching the title with an 18–9 victory over Duke in the final round. Duke finished second with a 3–1 record, followed by Stanford (2–2), North Carolina (1–3), and Boston College (0–4).
Team Standings
Notre Dame (4–0)
Duke (3–1)
Stanford (2–2)
North Carolina (1–3)
Boston College (0–4)
Individual Champions:
Épée Gold — Zoe Kim, Notre Dame Silver — Nicole Milewski, North Carolina Bronze — Felicity Smotritsky, Notre Dame
Duke Wins 2026 ACC Men’s Fencing Team Championship
DURHAM, N.C. — Duke University won the 2026 Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Fencing Team Championship following a fence-off victory over Boston College after both teams finished with identical 3–1 records in team competition.
The championship was decided in a three-bout fence-off, where Duke secured wins in foil and épée to clinch the conference title. Ethan Boroditsky earned a 5–4 épée victory, while Biko Tolba followed with a 5–3 win in foil. Boston College claimed the sabre bout, but Duke’s two victories secured the championship.
The title marks Duke’s third ACC Men’s Fencing Championship and the program’s first under head coach Omar Elgeziry.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and University of Notre Dame finished tied for third place with 2–2 records, while Stanford University placed fifth.
Team Standings:
Duke (3–1)*
Boston College (3–1) T3. North Carolina (2–2) T3. Notre Dame (2–2)
Stanford (0–4)
*Won two-team tiebreaker fence-off
Individual Champions:
Épée Gold — Youssef Shamel, North Carolina Silver — Kruz Schembri, Notre Dame Bronze — James Sennewald, Notre Dame
Foil Gold — Peter Bruk, North Carolina Silver — Ziyuan Chen, Notre Dame Bronze — Nick Rusadze, Notre Dame
Sabre Gold — Ahmed Hesham, Notre Dame Silver — Elden Wood, North Carolina Bronze — Lukas Eichhorn, Boston College
North Carolina freshman épée fencer Youssef Shamel was named the 2026 ACC Men’s Most Valuable Fencer.
