LA JOLLA, Calif. — Head coach Juan Ignacio Calderon has added to the Triton fencing coaching staff with the additions of Vladimir Prieto Cordova and Konstantin Lokhanov. Cordova will work with the foil squad, with Lokhanov coaching saber.
 
Cordova has been a fencing coach for over 17 years, including eight as head coach for the Venezuela senior men's foil team. He has been a referee at marquee events including World Championships, Olympic qualifiers and the Pan American Championships. Cordova has a bachelor's degree in education from UNERS in Venezuela.
 
Lokhanov is an Olympic saber fencer and 2023 U.S. Champion. He finished 24th individually and seventh in the team competition at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Lokhanov was ranked No. 1 in the world at the cadet level in 2014 and 2015 before achieving the same ranking at the junior level in 2017 and 2018, winning World Junior Championships those years as well. At the 2019 World Championships, he placed seventh individually and fifth in the team competition. Lokhanov has been a coach at La Jolla Fencing Academy since 2023.
 
The two first-year assistant coaches join Calderon's seven-person staff. Calderon is in his eighth year at the helm of the Triton program and his ninth at UC San Diego. He is also assisted by Eduard Zilinsky (foil), Eric Lorenzo Alfonso (saber) and Diego Calderon (epee). Dave Burgess returns for his 24th season as the team's armorer.
 
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of The Big West in NCAA Division I. The 24-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 39 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in NCAA Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.