2020-21 Temple Fencing Awards: Most Improved Fencer
6/14/2021
The 2020-21 Most Improved Fencer Award goes to Gretl Merges!
The fencing team’s Most Improved Fencer for the 2020-21 Season was Gretl Merges. Gretl, a freshman from Chicago, Ill., was voted MIP by her teammates and coaches. Having all of the team’s fall competition cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this was an especially challenging year for all of our freshmen. In spite of the many obstacles our freshmen faced, Gretl found a way to excel. She not only fenced very well during our shortened season, going 2-1 against LIU, UNC, and Penn State, to name a few, and she was also a tremendous support to her teammates. Gretl was always at the strip cheering and encouraging her squad. Gretl finished the year as an Institutional Alternate to the NCAA Championships. In addition, she was named to the Athletic Department Director’s Honor Roll for having a GPA above a 3.0 for the year.
Gretl was a pleasure to work with this year. She is so coachable and such a hard worker. Her determination to improve was evident from the very beginning of the season. It was great to see all of her hard work pay off.-- head coach Dr. Nikki Franke
