Our Coaches
Austin Young
Coach Young has served as the head fencing coach at Johns Hopkins since 2003. He has accumulated over 500 meet victories during that time, as well as 5 Coach of the Year honors. Twenty of his fencers have been named All-American.
Prior to coaching at Johns Hopkins Coach Young was the owner and head coach of the Clinton Fencing Club for eight years where he developed seven NJHIAA State Champions, dozens of All-State recipients, and several fencers who were ranked in the top 20 in the US in the U20 and U17 age groups.
Jon Wittig
Jon began fencing in the late 90s because of an obsession with the movie The Princess Bride. He was a former B rated fencer and competed at the Regional and National level. He began coaching in the mid 2000s at a club called Baltimore Fencing Center (BFC). Several of his BFC students continued to fence in college, some on Division 1 teams.
Today, he remains a competitive fencer and coach. He is pursuing coaches training and certification with the US Fencing Coaches Association (USFCA) through which he hopes to become a Prevot of foil.
Jon fosters an environment where students compete as individuals and support each other as teammates.
Paul DiVenti
Paul began fencing at the age of 8. He was a former A rated and nationally ranked Junior fencer. During his 4-year tenure at Cleveland State University he fenced Division 1 Men’s foil and in 2021 fenced in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship.
Now, as a "retired" NCAA fencer, Paul is focused on teaching – both in in the classroom and on the strip – as a coach and graduate student focused on secondary education and mathematics.
Paul believes, "everyone is capable of success, no matter where they start on their learning path."
Sophia Mandour
Sophia discovered fencing at just seven years old, and the sport has been her passion and pursuit ever since. She is a former A-ranked member of the U.S. Cadet Team (2015–2017), where she competed in international World Cup events. In college, she competed for University of North Carolina’s Division I Women’s Foil Team. She earned MVP honors as a freshman, went on to achieve two All-American distinctions, received a nomination for UNC’s Female Best Breakthrough Athlete in 2022, and qualified for the ACC and NCAA Championships.
With experience coaching private lessons, group classes, and camps, Sophia helps fencers of all ages grow in skill, confidence, and sportsmanship. Through her guidance, students learn to embrace challenges, support one another, and achieve their goals— all while having fun on the strip.
Now at Homewood Fencing, she guides every child to reach their potential and enjoy the art of fencing.