Meet the Team

Archil Lortkipanidze (“Achiko”) is an Olympic-level fencer and internationally recognized fencing coach. He received his degree from the Tiblisi State University, Republic of Georgia.

As a fencer, Achiko is a five-time Georgian National Champion, a Soviet Union Cup Finalist, World Cup Finalist, and a member of the Georgian Olympic Fencing Team (1996 Atlanta Olympic Games). As a coach, he has over 25 years of experience as a Master Saber Coach for a variety of leading athletic Organizations and institutions, including the Georgian National Team, Lincoln Fencing Club, Fencing Academy of Westchester, Fencers Club, Tim Morehouse Fencing Club, and Yale University Fencing Team

Brendan Doris- Pierce took over the head coaching responsibilities at Boston College in 2018 after seven seasons as an assistant. Since then, the Eagles have qualified for 19 athletes to the NCAA Championships with 8 earning All- American honors. A two-time ACC Coach of the Year.

CJ Callahan has a diverse, long history in Human Health and Sport Nutrition counseling, Academic advising, and various management platforms.

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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.

“Kristiyan was a National Champion on all levels”
Kristiyan has more than 25 years of combined competitive and coaching experience in Saber Fencing.

Maksim Lohotska is a world-renowned fencing coach and referee. As a coach, Maxim has trained Olympians and World medalists. For nearly a decade, he was the National and Olympic Coach for the Republic of Belarus. Most recently he was also the elite coach at Tim Morehouse Fencing Club.

Many of the students under his instruction have achieved remarkable feats as Championships in Catania, Italy and several of his students have gone on to win medals at international competitions. His student Aleksandr Buikevich earned an individual bronze medal at the 2012 World Fencing Championships in Legnano, Italy. Another student of his, Misha Akulo, took fifth place in the Cadet World Championships in Baku and fourth place at the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore in 2010.

Matt Tucker is an FIE referee who has represented the US at senior, junior and cadet world cups and zonal championships. He has been involved in fencing since 2014. He has refereed nationally in all three weapons since 2016, and is a fixture at both USFA and NCAA events, having refereed over 70 finals at NACs and NCAA.

Matteo Gallo is the Head Coach, founder and CEO of South Bay Fencing Academy.

Since 2019, he has coached his students to highest level in fencing, including Cadet, Junior and Senior World Cups, Grand Prix, Zonal and World Championships, Olympic Games qualification events. Several of his individual students have won National Championship titles, World Cup individual and Team medals, Pan-American Championship Titles, NCAA Championships Titles.

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.

“Tsetsi was the FIRST EVER Bulgarian National Champion in sabre”
Tsetsi was the FIRST EVER Bulgarian National Champion in saber, held in 1999. She has more than 30 years of combined competitive and coaching fencing experience.