Cambridge Student-Athlete Natalya Cafasso Completes Most Decorated Season Ever by a U.S. Cadet in Women’s Épée
CAMBRIDGE, MA
April 16, 2026
At just 16 years old, Cambridge Rindge and Latin School sophomore and Olympia Fencing Center standout Natalya Cafasso has completed the most decorated season ever by a cadet-aged American women’s épée fencer.
Cafasso finished the 2025–26 season ranked No. 3 in the FIE Junior World Rankings. Only two American cadet-aged women’s épée fencers have ever reached that year-end mark: four-time Olympian Courtney Hurley in 2007, and now Cafasso.
A centerpiece of Cafasso’s season was a three-event podium streak on fencing’s top international junior circuit: bronze at the FIE Junior World Cup in Burgos, bronze at the FIE Junior World Cup in Udine, and silver at the FIE Junior World Cup in Cairo. She also captured cadet individual silver and junior team bronze at the 2026 Junior & Cadet World Championships in Rio de Janeiro, posted a Junior Individual Top-8 finish at those same World Championships, and ended the season ranked No. 1 in the United States in both the Cadet and Junior categories.
A Global Student-Athlete
While maintaining a perfect 4.0 GPA in a demanding honors curriculum at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, Cafasso assembled her season across one of the most ambitious international schedules in youth fencing. She earned FIE ranking points on five continents and won international medals on four, building a résumé that combined world-level consistency with unusual competitive range.
Her rise has been shaped at Olympia Fencing Center under head coach Daniel Hondor, whose training philosophy emphasizes deep technical fundamentals tailored to the strengths of each individual athlete.
Results Across Three Levels
What distinguished Cafasso’s season was not only its medal count, but its span: she delivered results across three competitive tiers simultaneously: Cadet (U17), Junior (U20), and Senior (Olympic level).
In addition to her international junior and cadet breakthroughs, she also reached the podium domestically at the senior level, taking bronze and a fifth-place finish at Division I North American Cups.
Built on Results
Cafasso’s rise to No. 3 in the junior world rankings was built through an unusually efficient international campaign. Notably, she reached that mark despite skipping the Junior Pan American Zonal Championships — a common opportunity to add ranking points in a comparatively weaker field — because she prioritized academics and stronger international events over point-watching.
Instead, she assembled her standing through high-value finishes on the main international circuit, highlighted by three straight podium finishes at FIE Junior World Cup events, the highest-level international under-20 circuit in the sport. That run included bronze medals in Burgos and Udine and a silver medal in Cairo. Her bronze-medal finishes in Burgos and Udine came in the deepest fields of the junior season.
World Championships Breakthrough
At the World Championships in Rio, Cafasso beat the reigning Junior World Champion in the cadet quarterfinals on her way to silver, then helped lead Team USA to junior team bronze with a standout performance against Italy’s Giulia Paulis.
She also finished top eight in the junior individual event, giving her a rare multi-result World Championships across cadet and junior competition.
The Next Phase
Cafasso is now in Budapest, Hungary, beginning her climb into senior international competition as her focus turns toward the 2028 Olympic cycle. She is there with Hondor and training partner Gabriel Feinberg, currently ranked No. 3 in U.S. Senior Men’s Épée.
Now aged out of the cadet category, Cafasso closes that chapter with a body of results unmatched by any American cadet-aged women’s épée fencer to date, while already establishing herself as one of the top junior competitors in the world.
NATALYA CAFASSO: 2025–26 Season at a Glance
FIE Junior World Ranking: No. 3
U.S. Rankings: No. 1 Cadet; No. 1 Junior
World Championships (Rio): Cadet Individual Silver; Junior Team Bronze; Junior Individual Top 8
Junior World Cups: Bronze in Burgos; Bronze in Udine; Silver in Cairo
Key Streak: Three consecutive podium finishes on the top international junior circuit
Domestic Senior Results: Bronze and 5th place at Division I North American Cups
Academics: 4.0 GPA, Cambridge Rindge and Latin School
Notes
Historical context: Cafasso’s 2025–26 campaign stands as the most decorated season ever by a cadet-aged American women’s épée fencer. Only two American cadet-aged women’s épée fencers have ever finished a season ranked No. 3 in the FIE Junior World Rankings: four-time Olympian Courtney Hurley in 2007 and Natalya Cafasso in 2026.
Junior circuit context: Cafasso’s season was anchored by three consecutive podium finishes at FIE Junior World Cup events, the highest-level international under-20 circuit in fencing.
Ranking context: Cafasso reached No. 3 despite skipping the Junior Pan American Zonal Championships, where many athletes add points in a comparatively weaker field, choosing instead to prioritize school and stronger international events.
World Cup context: Her bronze-medal finishes in Burgos and Udine came in the deepest fields of the junior season.
World Championships context: In Rio, Cafasso beat the reigning Junior World Champion in the cadet quarterfinals on her way to silver and helped lead Team USA to junior team bronze with a standout performance against Italy’s Giulia Paulis.
Coaching: Cafasso trains under Daniel Hondor at Olympia Fencing Center.
Verification: Current world rankings and domestic results can be confirmed through the FIE official rankings and USA Fencing.
