It’s Official: NCAA Women’s Fencing Will Crown Its Own Team Champion in 2026

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The wait is over. With Division II and Division III leaders voting last month to approve a standalone NCAA Women’s Fencing Team Championship, every hurdle has been cleared. (Division I leaders held their vote in June.) Beginning with the 2026 championship season, women’s collegiate fencing teams will finally vie for an NCAA title of their own.

For the nine women’s‑only varsity programs — and for every women’s squad that has ever fenced under the shadow of a co‑ed trophy they could never win — the decision represents long‑overdue justice on the strip.

USA Fencing has also heard feedback from schools who have previously looked at starting an NCAA women’s fencing program that they needed the ability to win a championship to do so. That is now a reality.

“Today’s vote completes a journey that started the moment our athletes first asked, ‘Why not us?’” says Phil Andrews, CEO of USA Fencing. “By 2026, those athletes will fence for a championship trophy that was built for them. That prospect will spark new programs, elevate existing ones, and remind every young fencer that equity is more than a talking point — it’s our sport’s promise.”

Because NCAA team championships are awarded to the school with the best combined performance across all three weapons in both women’s and men’s fencing, schools like Temple University — a women’s‑only powerhouse — were effectively shut out from any realistic shot at the big trophy.

“This has been a long time coming,” says Nikki Franke, legendary Temple coach (retired). “The NCAA Fencing Committee has been requesting this change for many years. Finally, single gender teams have a chance to become NCAA Champions! It’s only fair.“ 

Franke’s words echo years of advocacy from coaches, student‑athletes and administrators who saw a glaring inequity and refused to let it stand. USA Fencing amplified those voices in its 2024‑28 Strategic Plan, naming equitable collegiate opportunities a top priority. The NCAA’s own focus‑sport designation for fencing, awarded in 2023, accelerated collaboration among USA Fencing, the NCAA and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee.