Our Staff
Boston Fencing Club
Director of Operations
davidsach@bostonfencingclub.org
David Sach
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 Sabre Coach
matthewzich@bostonfencingclub.org
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 and Senior National Championships. 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 2022 Junior Men's Sabre national champion Hyunseok (Tommy) Choi and 2022 NCAA All-American Maggie Shealy from Brandeis University, where he is currently the sabre coach. 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.
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.
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.
Brendan Doris-Pierce
Brendan is a graduate of Brandeis University where he was the captain of his fencing team and a gradute of the University of Mississippi recieving his master's degree in Higher Education Administration. Brendan has been coaching at the BFC since his own time on the BFC Junior Team 15 years ago. In that time he has coached national medalists ranging from Y12 to Division I and had students on point standings in every category. He is also the head coach at Boston College where he runs the team and is specifically in charge of the sabre program. Two BC Sabreurs have made NCAA championships as well as numerous Northeast Fencing Conference All Stars. He has been called the heart and soul of BFC having been a member of the club for over two decades.
RIA
Front Desk Team
info@bostonfencingclub.org
Nina sayles
Media & Special Events
Nina has been working at BFC since 2019, formerly as the front desk manager. 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 she holds two Masters degree from Harvard University. As an athlete, Nina has represented BFC since 2017 and her results include Gold Division II and III 2018 April NAC, Silver Division IA 2021 Summer Nationals, top-8 2022 FIE Antalya Sabre Satellite World Cup, and multiple senior team NAC medals with BFC teammates. When she is not training or working at BFC, Nina is a Project Coordinator at MIT Sloan School.
Anahit Campbell
Anahit Campbell has been fencing for over 20 years, referees regionally, and has been nationally ranked in Senior Women’s Epee in both the US and the UK. She enjoys working with students to help them improve and enjoy the sport of fencing.
