Alexander Massialas enters his second season as head coach of the Stanford fencing program, after a strong debut season in 2024-25. Massialas returned to Stanford as head coach after a standout career as a student-athlete on The Farm, as well as an illustrious international and Olympic career.
In his first season at the helm, the Cardinal posted the best team NCAA Championships finish (ninth) since 2014, headlined by Arianna Cao's championship performance in women's foil.
Cao's gold medal was the Cardinal's 15th individual champion in program history and first since 2015. Cao was one of three All-America selections for the Card, joined by Renzo Fukuda (Second Team) and Crystal Qian (Honorable Mention). As a team, the Cardinal picked up four top-10 wins in the regular season.
"It was an amazing first season coaching on The Farm. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of student-athletes to coach, they bought into a brand new system, they adapted and grew when I pushed them out of their comfort zones, and they took pride in their training," Massialas said after the season. "All the results we achieved are a testament to their hard work, and I’m extremely proud of the body of work the team put forward this year."
Massialas returned to The Farm as head coach after cementing himself as one of the best fencers in Cardinal history. A two-time NCAA champion in men’s foil (2013, 2015), Massialas picked up four First-Team All-America selections in his collegiate career. Massialas’ individual national championship in his freshman season (2013) made him the youngest athlete to win a Division I men’s foil national championship.
"I'm grateful for the opportunity to be back on campus to work with a program that has meant so much to me over the years,” said Massialas when his hire was announced. “I loved my time as a member of the Stanford Fencing Team and am ready to give 100% to the student-athletes in this new role."
Internationally, Massialas’ resume is even more historic. Paris was his fourth Olympics appearance, after already becoming the first American male fencer to win two Olympic medals in a single Games since 1904, and the first to win a silver medal since 1932. His international trophy case includes three Olympic medals (one silver, two bronze), and five Senior World Championship Team medals (one gold, four silver).
“I am very pleased to welcome Alexander back to The Farm to lead a program he has impacted so immensely as a student-athlete and alumnus,” said Muir. “Alexander has competed, and succeeded, at the highest levels of the sport and brings a tremendous amount of experience, passion and investment to our program. I look forward to working with him, and am excited for our student-athletes to learn from one of the best fencers in the world.”
Massialas is a native of San Francisco and graduated from Stanford with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 2017. He will join the Cardinal after finishing competition at this month’s Summer Olympics in Paris.