Our Staff
Boston Fencing Club
David Sach
Director of Operations
davidsach@bostonfencingclub.org
David Sach started his fencing career in the UK where he won numerous cadet, junior and senior national titles including a run of 5 back to back Junior national championships. He also fenced at 8 World Championships between 1995 and 1998 Junior, Cadet and Senior. David also represented Wales at 3 Commonwealth Games winning 2 individual Silver medals and a team Gold. David moved into coaching at a relatively young age but since then has coached numerous national champions at all age groups, international world cup medallists at both Junior and Senior level, a Cadet World Champion and Olympians. Before moving to the USA, he served as a British Fencing World Class Performance Pathway sabre coach - a position in which he coached and monitored members of the British Olympic Sabre Team. David is also an FIE rated referee, earning appointments at the 2005, 2007 Senior World Championships and 2008 Olympic Games.
head coaches
Head Epee Coach
Yasser Mahmoud
​Yasser Mahmoud has been involved in fencing for more than 25 years, focusing in epee.  Yasser comes from a long line of fencing, with his family including Olympic athletes and National coaches. Yasser has competed at both the national and international level. In 2016 he graduated from Penn State University with a Bachelors of Fine Arts (Sculpture), after achieving All-American status for his 2014 NCAA Championship result. He is also a nationally ranked referee. Before Penn State, Yasser coached in 2010 at the Commonwealth School and 2011 saw him as the Boston University Academy coach. After graduation, Yasser served as a camp counselor for Brown University's fencing camp and as a coach at Beaver Country Day School. Today, Yasser is the epee coach for the BB&N Knights middle and high school teams. Yasser's students include the 2022 MA state epee champions and nationally competitive athletes. Yasser's students have gone on to fence and study at top universities, including Vassar College and Washington University in St. Louis, where his student founded the Wash U Fencing Club. Yasser is the head epee coach at Boston Fencing Club and runs the youth competitive and competitive epee programs, and he is also an assistant coach for Tufts University NCAA women's team.
Head Foil Coach
Davis Merritt
Davis Merritt has been affiliated with the Boston Fencing Club since he began fencing at the age of five. As a foil fencer, Davis captured the Under-13 national title, was twice the Under-15 national champion, won the Under-17 national championship, and was crowned the Under-19 North Atlantic champion. He claimed the New England Division championship on two occasions and clinched the Bay State Games title. As an undergraduate at St. John's University, Davis received NCAA All-America honors. Davis competed on the 1995 Pan-Am and 1997 national teams. In addition, he helped the Under-20 and Division 1A men's foil teams capture national championships. Davis's students have medaled at regional and national competitions in junior, senior, and veteran events. He has coached multiple students who have gone on to fence on NCAA college teams including the U.S. Airforce Academy, Drew University and Tufts University. Davis is currently the foil coach for the Tufts University NCAA varsity women's team.
Head Sabre Coach
Matt Zich
Matthew (Matt) Zich has been involved in sabre fencing for over 25 years, 11 years as an internationally-ranked competitor and for the last 15 years as a coach, with a proven record of developing elite fencers. Classically trained by Maestro Yury Gelman (five-time Olympic Fencing Coach and National Men's Sabre Coach) in New York City, Matthew was a member of the US National Fencing Team, 2003-2007, representing the United States at World Championships held in Korea, Italy, France and Austria. Matthew was ranked #1 USA and top 5 internationally as a Cadet; #1 USA and top 5 internationally as a Junior; and top 5 USA as a Senior. Working with beginners through advanced fencers, Matthew's students have medaled at Youth Tournaments through Junior Olympics, Senior National Championships, and Cadet World Cups. At the request of USFA, he has worked with national team members for international competitions, including as the coach of the US Cadet National Team for the World Cup Events in Poland and Germany. Matthew is the coach of 2024 NCAA Champion Maggie Shealy, as well as the 2022 and 2023 Junior Men's Sabre national champions, multiple NCAA All-American from Brandeis University, where he is currently the sabre coach, and a member of the 2023 cadet world team in women's sabre.  Matthew has coached numerous students who have gone on to fence in leading college programs, including Oxford University, Harvard, Columbia, UPenn, Duke, Brandeis, St. John's, Northwestern, and Boston College.
Staff
Nina Sayles
Director, Community Outreach and Development
Nina began fencing over 15 years ago at NAFA North in Port Chester, NY, under now head BFC sabre coach Matt Zich. Nina has been working at BFC since 2019 and began her full-time role as Director of Outreach and Development in 2024. She has a bachelor's degree from Brandeis University where she was captain of the the NCAA varsity fencing team in her senior year and attended Harvard University for graduate school. Nina has represented BFC nationally since 2017 and her results include individual NAC medals in Divisions III, II, and IA, top-8 2022 FIE Antalya Sabre Satellite World Cup, and multiple senior team NAC medals with BFC teammates.
Assistant coaches
Maggie Shealy
Youth Sabre
Maggie began fencing under legendary UNC coach Ron Miller. She joined the Brandeis University fencing team in 2019 where she trained with BFC head sabre coach Matthew Zich. At Brandeis, Maggie went on to become a 3x NCAA All-American, including becoming NCAA Champion in Women's Sabre in 2024. Outside of college fencing, Maggie represents the USA in World Cup competition and she is a 2-time USA Fencing National Championships bronze medalist.
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Maggie has been on the BFC coaching staff since 2023. Maggie works with Youth Competitive sabre students in group classes and gives private lessons. Maggie is able to inspire young students with her personal successes and her dedication to coaching.
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Garrett Tordo
Sabre and epee
Garrett has been in the world of Boston Fencing for 16 years, and has spent time as a Saberist, an Epeeist, a Referee, and Coach. A competitor since he was just 8 years old, Garrett was best known for strong national Saber placements during his time in high school, as well as being the tallest nationally-active Saberist in the USA. On his way to graduating with a Marketing degree from Brandeis University, Garrett ended up switching to Epee in order to try something new and support the Brandeis team. Now with a renewed passion for Fencing post-graduation, he brings that rare multi-weapon proficiency to help the next generation of fencers find their passion.
Julio Romero
Beginner and Adult Sabre
Coach, Julio Romera, is a registered coach and professional member with USA Fencing and is certified in all Safesport training, Coach Romera started fencing at his native Spain in 1982 at his local High school and under the teachings of classic Master Pablo Arandilla he developed the love for the sport and had very early success as a competitor. Coach Romera competed nationally and internationally. He was junior national sabre team silver medalist two years in a row and one-time senior team silver medalist in sabre. He ranked top 10 in the country from 1986 until his early retirement in 1992. Between 1985 and 1991, Romera coached Sabre in Spain at his home Club Cardenal Cisneros under the direction of Coach Eduardo Romero, and Club de Esgrima de Madrid under the direction of Maestro Francisco Fuentes. He worked with great fencers in the sport, like Marcos Florez, Alberto Falcon, and Fernando Casares. Most recently and in USA, he was an assistant coach at Edge Fencing under Ariana Klinkov and helped qualify several students to Nationals. He has been involved in all aspects of the sport, acting also as a referee in several regional tournaments as well as the North East intercollegiate tournament.
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Ashley Park
Youth Foil
Ashley began fencing epee at the age of 14 under the guidance of renowned coaches Abdel Salem and Kathryn Lewis-Salem. Over the years, she has competed in multiple North American Cups (NACs), participating in events ranging from the Junior Olympics to Division 1 competitions.
In addition to competing, Ashley served as the Head Coach of Boston University's fencing team for two years, where they coached athletes in all three weapons—epee, foil, and sabre. Currently, Ashley is pursuing a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree, bringing the same dedication and discipline from the fencing piste to their academic journey.
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Hunter Stusnick
Epee
Hunter has 15 years of combined coaching and competition experience. He fenced for former Brandeis head coach Bill Shipman during his undergraduate career from 2014-2018. He consistently earns senior national points at USA Fencing North American Cups (NACs) as a competitor.
Hunter's coaching career began at Chatham (NJ) High School and Medeo Fencing Club. At Medeo, Hunter was a private lessons coach and has been part of the NAC strip coaching team for national champions and cadet world team members.
Hunter has been the epee coach at Brandeis University since 2022 and has given lessons at BFC since 2024. In the 2023-24 season, his men's epee squad beat Division I foes Stanford, UNC, and Long Island University, while his women's squad has toppled local rivals Sacred Heart, Wellesley, and Brown, among others. In the postseason, three Judges made the NCAA Northeast Regionals semifinals, and he placed one in the regional final.
