Ahmed Hesham wins saber to lead Notre Dame men to inaugural three-weapon championship

By Canadian Press on March 22, 2026.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Notre Dame’s Ahmed Hesham won the men’s saber on Sunday, and the Fighting Irish men joined the women in winning the inaugural three-weapon national championship at the Joyce Center.

Hesham defeated St. John’s Adham Moataz 15-12 in the final after a third-place finish last season.

Notre Dame finished with 91 points, 10 better than runner-up Columbia. St. John’s (63), Harvard (62) and Pennsylvania (58) rounded out the top five.

Notre Dame’s Chase Emmer fell short in defense of his foil title after losing 15-8 to Columbia’s Sam Kumbla in the final.

Fighting Irish freshman Kruz Schembri made it to the épée final before losing to North Carolina’s Youssef Shamel 15-7.

The Fighting Irish trio led all three disciplines after the first day.

Notre Dame won 14 co-ed championships, including six of the last eight. The Fighting Irish won last season’s title in the final year of the combined men’s and women’s team championship.

Notre Dame edged Columbia 102-99 on Friday to win the first women’s three-weapon title. Eszter Muhan won the épée for the Irish.

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AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

The Associated Press

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