Ilya has worked with internationally competitive programs for over 35 years. Some notable results from his students include: 

​

• CFA Alumna Michaela Joyce  (2015-2023) became Team USA World Champion during her freshman year at Notre Dame in 2024. 

• #4 FIE World Rank in Junior Women's epee.

• 2022 Scholarship to Notre Dame and multiple college recruitments since 2018

• Consistent #1 and Top 4 Region Six positions since 2018

• 2022 Cadet World Cup Mens Epee top 16 Individual finish and two medals in Team Event

• 2020 and 2021 World Championship Team member in both Cadet and Junior Women's epee.

• #1 USA 17 and Under  Women's Epee points standing finish in 2019.

• Multiple Division 1 Podium appearances.

• Back to back Gold Medals in Youth 14 Nationals and Capitol Clash SYCs. 

• Gold at the 2019 Grenoble Cadet Team European Cup.

• Silver at the 2019 Junior Olympics,

• Gold in Vet-40 ME Team and Bronze in Vet-40 National Championships. 

• Other podium appearances Nationally and Internationally across All USA Fencing Epee events.

• Multiple "A" ratings every season since 2012.

 

Ilya has served as the USA Team coach at multiple World Cups.  Every champion starts as a beginner and Ilya works with each fencer at their pace while always shooting for the stars.  

Homegrown at CFA 1.0 (2018-2022) Kyle began fencing at 14 with no prior experience and earned a spot on Penn State’s team in four years, proving that the right coaching and work ethic can take an athlete further than anyone expects.

 

At Penn State Kyle earned a BS in Kinesiology specializing in exercise science, one of the top ranked Kinesiology programs in the nation. There he also competed and supported the team as a Division 1 fencer for 5 years on one of the most decorated fencing programs in NCAA history.

 

Through his degree and experiences at Penn State he has gotten a deep understanding and foundation in human movement, physiology, and athletic development. His experience through Penn State Kinesiology and NCAA fencing has given him the tools to coach athletes not just to fence better, but to move and compete smarter at every level.

David Hitchcock is a former four-year varsity starter and accomplished epeeist for the U.S. Naval Academy, where he compiled a 75–31 career dual meet record.

 

His Navy career included 4th place at the NCAA Championships, USFCA All-American honors, a Silver Medal in Men’s Epee Team at the 1987 IFA Championships, IFA Fencer of the Year, and a team Gold Medal at the 1987 U.S. Olympic Festival. He was also inducted into the U.S. Naval Academy Athletic Hall of Fame.

 

At Navy, David was coached by Hall of Fame and Olympic Coach André Deladrier and NCAA All-American Richard Deladrier. He has also trained under Olympians Jon Normile and Iliya Mechkov.

After a 23-year break from competition, David returned to fencing in 2012 and has earned multiple Veteran NAC podium finishes. He is an A-rated epeeist, a three-time Veteran NAC Team Gold Medalist, and a 2024 competitor at the FIE Veteran World Championships in Dubai, where he was coached by Cardinal's Alex Rachtchinine.

 

David brings the perspective of both a high-level competitor and an experienced instructor and leader. A retired Marine F/A-18 pilot with more than 3,000 hours in tactical jets, he is a TOPGUN graduate and former commanding officer of the Marine Corps' F/A-18 training squadron, VMFAT-101. Today, he works as a leadership and management consultant and executive coach, bringing that same emphasis on preparation, technique, discipline, and performance to his work with fencers.

Students' Highlights:

• 2024 Vet 50 Men's Epee World Championship Team in Dubai: David Hitchcock

• 2024 Junior Olympics Cadet Men's Epee 8th place.

• 2024 Vet 50 North American Cup Men's Epee Silver

• Multiple USA Fencing podium appearances and ratings from local events to Veteran National Championships.

​

Alex is a three-time US National 40+ Champion and an A-rated fencer. He started fencing back in Russia and after a break returned to the sport as a coach and Veteran competitor. He brings a solid technical foundation to his group and individual lessons while maintaining a fun classroom environment.   

We welcome Coach Iñaki de Guzman back to CFA!

 

Iñaki was with us from the early days of CFA 1.0 and in 2022 went on to complete his Master's degree in Sports Management at George Mason University.

 

An Ohio State alum, Iñaki is a strong NCAA and Division 1 fencer, with one of his top results being 8th place at the 2016 Division 1 National Championships. He brings a wealth of NCAA, National and International competitive experience.

​

Iñaki is a wonderful teammate and sparring coach and he will be joining the C Group and offering private lessons.

José began his fencing career three quarters of a century ago, well before electrified weapons, direct elimination bouts, age divisions and women fencing epee and saber.

He has studied with some of the most successful fencing coaches in the United States, including the legendary Hugo Costello who won eleven National Intercollegiate Championships as coach of the New York University Fencing Team in the 1950s and 1960s and former Gold Medal Hungarian Olympic Team Coach, Istvan Danosi, who won seven National Intercollegiate Championships as coach of the Wayne State University Fencing Team in the 1970s and 1980s. 

He has fenced in a dozen different states in the USA as well as in Spain, France, Egypt and Canada and brings this wealth of fencing history, knowledge and experience to CFA to share with our fencers and their families. 

José also continues to compete at the national level in the Veteran Men’s Epee 80+ Division, where he is consistently in the medals, and he serves as CFA’s Ombudsman.