Matt Zich

With over 25 years in sabre fencing—including 11 years competing at the international level—Matthew Zich has established himself as both an elite fencer and a transformative coach. He was classically trained under Maestro Yury Gelman in New York City and represented the U.S. on the National Fencing Team from 2003 to 2009, competing at World Championships in Korea, Italy, France, and Austria. As a Cadet and Junior, he was ranked #1 in the U.S. and consistently placed among the top 5 globally; as a Senior, he remained within the top 5 nationally.
 

Over the past 15 years, Matt has cultivated excellence across all levels of the sport. His students have medaled in Youth Tournaments, Junior Olympics, Senior Nationals, and Cadet World Cups. He has also coached the U.S. Cadet National Teams at World Cup events in Poland and Germany upon invitation from USFA.
 

At Brandeis University, Matt has played a pivotal role in one of the most successful eras in program history. He coached 2024 NCAA Champion Maggie Shealy and both the 2022 and 2023 Junior Men’s Sabre National Champions, in addition to multiple NCAA All-Americans and a member of the 2023 Cadet World Team in Women’s Sabre. In recognition of his extraordinary work, the U.S. Fencing Coaches Association (USFCA) named him Assistant Coach of the Year (both Division III and National categories) for 2023 and 2024, with the 2024 honor highlighting his leadership of the Brandeis sabre squad.
 

Since 2018, he has also served as Head Sabre Coach at Boston Fencing Club, where he has guided dozens of athletes to continue fencing at top collegiate programs including Oxford, Harvard, Columbia, UPenn, Duke, Brandeis, St. John’s, Northwestern, and Boston College.