He was in my class of '99. I think he ended up being captain during his time at ND.

Speaking of that, there was some cool cross-promotional stuff between ND fencing and football recently on SM. Though more specifically it's related to Ty Washington, who apparently has taken a shine to the team and the sport itself. Always neat to see our kids across sports support and generate exposure for one another.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DV6wM_dEf_z/

https://www.southbendtribune.com/story/sports/college/football/2026/03/20/notre-dame-fo...

Notre Dame football tight end Ty Washington turns fencing ambassador?
Mike Berardino
South Bend Tribune
March 20, 2026

SOUTH BEND — Ty Washington, entering his second and final year as a Notre Dame football tight end, might have discovered his new passion: fencing ambassador.

With the NCAA Fencing Championships in town through Sunday, Washington was rounding up some of his fellow tight ends and other teammates to walk over to Purcell Pavilion and take in the competition.

“A couple of us are going over there to watch (Saturday),” Washington said Friday March 20 after the first day of spring practice. “Right now I’ve got Jack (Larsen) going. I just talked to Coop (Flanagan) about going. I’ve got some of the (defensive backs) going. Like Tae (Johnson) and all of them.”

At 6-foot-4 and 253 pounds, Washington cut an imposing figure recently when he suited up as a fencer for an in-house promotional taping.

Even though he was blanked 5-0 by defending NCAA women’s sabre champion Magda Skarbonkiewicz, a five-time junior world champion and 2024 U.S. Olympian, and U.S. men's Olympian Chase Emmer as well, Washington insisted he was getting the hang of the sport.

“I went against some Olympian, and I think I won, but they won’t give it to me,” Washington said with a laugh. “But I won, for sure.”

An Arkansas transfer who grew up in rural Leesburg, Ga., Washington had never been exposed to fencing until his curiosity recently got the best of him.

“I just went over there and tried to check out fencing because I had never seen it before,” he said. “I’m from South Georgia and I went to Arkansas. They don’t have a fencing team, so I was like, ‘I want to know what fencing is.’ And then I saw there was a match going on right next door. I had time, so I went over there and checked it out.”

Football and fencing rarely mix, so the members of Notre Dame’s powerhouse fencing program welcomed Washington and his film crew like old friends.

“They treat you like family,” Washington said of the newly crowned 65-time national champions (individual and team). “I actually like fencing now. I think I’m kind of cold at it, to be honest.”

In this case, cold is good.

“I think I’m kind of good at it,” he said, “so it might be a new hobby for me.”

Washington tried his hand at both sabre and foil. Despite being a well-conditioned athlete with designs on an NFL career, he came away highly impressed with the skills of the Irish fencing team.

“You get tired faster, especially in foil,” he said. “Foil is more patient, but explosive. A bigger guy like me, it’s easy to get tired. I like sabre. It’s quick and to the point, so I like that.”

What about épée?

“Nah, I didn’t try that one,” he said. “That’s a little more complicated.”

Noting that the swords he used were “not that heavy at all” and “easy to control,” Washington left with a greater appreciation of his fellow campus athletes and their longtime coach, Gia Kvaratskhelia.

“It’s hard to say his name,” Washington said. “He’s a legend. I know he’s from Russia."

Actually, the naturalized U.S. citizen since 2004 hails from Georgia, the former Soviet Republic.

“He was nice,” Washington said. “He treated me like family when I went over there. Told me he’ll sign me up if I wanted.”

And while it’s unlikely Notre Dame football will be holding any amateur fencing tournaments at the “Gug” along with those daily table tennis showdowns, Washington expressed confidence that he would be the top seed should it ever come to pass.

“I’d be the champion, for sure,” he said.

And which teammate might pose the biggest threat?

“Give me the best run?” he said. “Probably CJ (Carr). He’s more competitive. I bet he’ll try to figure it out.”

Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.