Hector Florencia enters his first year as the head coach of the Cleveland State men’s and women’s fencing teams.
Florencia arrives at Cleveland State after spending the last two seasons as the assistant coach of the Denison women's fencing team. His time was capped off by being named the Division III Assistant Coach of the Year.
In his time at Denison, he aided in nine All-Conference & All-Region honorees, six top 15 regional finishers, four All-Americans, and one Division III Newcomer of the Year.
Florencia assisted Denison’s women’s team to two third-place Central Collegiate Fencing Conference finishes and a ranking of No. 1 in the country for the first time in program history. The team went 65-27 overall during his tenure.
Along with his role with the women’s team at Denison, he helped the men’s club team with top 16 results in sabre, top eight in foil, and runner-up in foil at the United State Association of Collegiate Fencing Club Championships in 2026.
Prior to Denison, Florencia was the owner and head coach of the Frisco Fencing Academy in Texas for five years, guiding numerous students to national-level success.
Florencia represented the Mexican National Team for nine years, participating in seven World Championships, 20+ World Cups and Grand Prix Events. Of note, he ranked among the top junior fencers from 2012-16, highlighted by a national ranking of No. 7 in 2014.
He also won multiple World Cup medals, was a Pan American Champion with multiple medals, and finished eighth at the 2014 Junior World Championships in Bulgaria.
Florencia graduated from The Ohio State University with a bachelor's degree in sports industry.
During his time with the Buckeyes, he helped lead the program to two NCAA runner-up finishes and four men's sabre Midwestern Fencing Conference Championships. He qualified for the 2016 NCAA Fencing Championships after placing fifth at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships and went on to finish 16th nationally in sabre.
