Wellesley Fencing Welcomes Andrew Fischl, Elif Soyer Sachs to Coaching Staff

WELLESLEY, Mass. -- Rob Charlton, Interim Head Fencing Coach at Wellesley College, has announced the hiring of Andrew Fischl and Elif Soyer Sachs as assistant coaches for the Blue. 

 

"We are very excited to have Andrew and Elif join us at Wellesley," said Charlton. "They both fenced in the Northeast Fencing Conference (NFC) and they will each bring some great perspective to our program. Andrew went on to compete at the international level after his time at Vassar, while Elif has coached against Wellesley in prior seasons."

 

A collegiate sabre fencer at Vassar from 2007-2011, Fischl is well known in the fencing community for his YouTube presence, where his amateur and professional fencing videos have been viewed approximately five million times since he began publishing his more than 3,100 videos in 2009. A nationally and internationally ranked fencer, he has reached as high as fifth in the nation in sabre and 92nd in the world. He has coaching experience at both Prise de Fer and EDGE Fencing and Fitness, helping to run summer camps and give lessons since 2013. He has also served as a fencing referee since 2007. 

"Andrew is a very well-respected director at the national and international level and the entire fencing community enjoys and respects his intelligent online work as Cyrus of Chaos," said Charlton. "He's a thoughtful fencer and referee who will make a difference with our sabre squad."

 

The co-founder and co-owner of Moe Fencing Club in Somerville, Mass., Sachs has participated in nearly every facet of the sport of fencing over the last twenty-five years. She has been a national and international competitor with regional and national podium finishes, coached teams at the high school and NCAA level with Brandeis and Tufts, and coached individuals to national championship titles and US national teams. While at Tufts, she successfully advocated for and established the women's NCAA fencing team at Tufts University. The 2003-04 NFC Men's Coach of the Year, she led the way in establishing the Sachs Award and Trophy in 2005, which is awarded to the fencer with the best record in the Northeast Fencing Conference who started fencing in college.

 

"Elif's students have achieved great results at the local, national and international level," noted Charlton. "Her knowledge of fencing and passion for the sport is unparalleled. She's a passionate, skilled, and thoughtful coach who will be a great asset to our foilists."

 

Wellesley continues to the 2019-20 season on Sunday, December 1, at the Brandeis Invitational.