Temple University Athletics
Photo by: Robin Hsiao
Fencing Set for Salmon Era
10.25.22 | Women's Fencing
PHILADELPHIA - The Temple fencing team will open the 2022-23 season with a new coach at the helm of the program when the Salmon Era kicks off with the 42nd Annual Temple Open on Oct. 29. Jennie Salmon became just the second head coach in the program's 50 year history after former head coach and program founder Dr. Nikki Franke announced her retirement in August and officially stepped down last month.Â
Despite the change in leadership, Temple's perennially high expectations remain the same.Â
"We're really excited and determined to have as good a season, if not the best season we've ever had," Salmon said. "I know that the team is motivated to work hard, honor coach Franke, and show that nothing has changed. My expectation is that we'll push to be the best we can be and improve as we go so that we can bring home another conference championship and go into Regionals strong before heading to NCAAs. The 'typical' Temple season is the goal and expectation of the year."
Even though Salmon is new to leading the Owls on the strip, she is not new to the Cherry and White. A 1995 graduate of Temple, she was a two-time team captain and two-time All-American in addition to being a 1992 National Champion.
"This transition has two sides to it," Salmon said. "Being on campus and working with a program that I grew up in and has inspired me for years feel familiar. But on the other side, it's honoring what Temple student-athletes do while also bringing in some different ideas and keeping things interesting. Overall, the transition has gone very well. I feel very supported by the department and my colleagues. I also see that the team is really working hard to remember why they are here, who we are as a program, and that nothing has really changed. It's just a new voice saying familiar things."Â
The Owls were ranked in the top-10 by the USFCA in all three rankings releases last season, finishing the year at No. 10. In addition to the top-10 ranking, Franke was named a Women's Team Collegiate Coach of the Year Finalist, assistant coach Tasia Ford was named Women's Team Collegiate Assistant Coach of the Year Finalist, Naomi Ross was named a Women's Epee Collegiate Athletes of the Year Finalist and Anna Novoseltseva was named a a Women's Foil Collegiate Athletes of the Year Finalist. Novoseltseva would go on to be named the Foilist of the Year.
"We want to continue to push what we've always pushed," Salmon said. "Top-5 is a goal but top-10 is something that we expect to maintain. With Nikki at the helm, they met their goals last year but I do feel the experience on the team will support us in reaching the goals we have this year. We want to qualify athletes to Regionals and NCAAs, but individuals having success in this program comes from the body of work that we do together as a team. Anyone who accomplishes going to NCAAs is the cherry on top of the season, but we have to look at the entire team to make that happen."
What once was described as a young team can now be described as a veteran team. The squad is home to five seniors, six juniors, and five sophomores. Seven Owls have competed at the NCAAs, with Ross and Novoseltseva representing the Cherry and White last year in Notre Dame, Ind.
"The team has really gelled together," Ford said. "We're slowly becoming an experienced team so it's going to be an exciting year for us. We have fresh ideas and fresh excitement, and our squads are continuing to build on their strong foundation."
With so many familiar faces on the roster, there are several Owls to watch this season.
"Anna qualified for NCAAs last year as a freshman and won many accolades so she's someone to continue to keep an eye on. Naomi is in her senior year after qualifying for NCAAs last year, and she continues to be such a great captain and a go-getter. In sabre, Zoe Turner is returning from an injury that kept her out most of last year. Eva Ventura had a strong freshman year for us last season, so we're excited to continue seeing her grow now that she has a year under her belt."
Temple welcomed two freshmen in the offseason, with Renee Oymann fencing foil and Anne-Mai Melles fencing epee.
"Renee and Annie are both coming to us as international students," Salmon said. "They both have gelled well with the team and are fully on board with the rigor and our expectations. In the classroom, they have been conscientious and hard working so we see that they are embracing the balance of what it takes to be successful at Temple. We expect both of them to contribute this season on the strip and we're excited to see their debut at the Temple Open and to have them get used to collegiate fencing."
The epee and foil squads see each see four NCAA Regional qualifiers and one NCAA Championship qualifier return to the strip this season.
"It's been really fun working with the epee squad," Salmon said. "They're like sponges and I love that. The squad has athletes who come with a strong resume of success. Margherita Calderaro came to us very experienced and has had a good three years so we're excited for her fourth year. Epee is really engaged and super bonded to each other. We're working hard to have them really capitalize on their individual strengths while also supporting each other and employing the strategies and tactics in those five-touch bouts that happen in college.
"Foil is really enthusiastic and supportive of each other. They've been supportive of the coaching change and open minded. One of the biggest challenges we'll see as a coaching staff is who is going to fence and when because they are all working so hard. It's a good problem to have when there's six athletes who are saying 'I want this and I'm working hard for it.' They are really challenging us as coaches to make those critical decisions throughout the season."
Sabre is the most experienced squad on the team, with no new additions occurring during the summer.
"The sabre squad didn't need to train anyone for the upcoming season because everyone was here last year. Last year was a time to grow and learn from each other. It came with ups and downs, but I think that they are ready to explode and take on the challenge of the year now that they know what to expect."
Being a yearly top-10 contender comes with a challenging schedule, and this season is no exception. In addition to the nine collegiate events that the Owls will compete in, the fencers will also have the opportunity to compete in the USA Fencing system with two North American Cup events and the Junior Olympics on the schedule.
"One of the great things about the season is that we have an incredibly strong schedule," Salmon said. "We'll have to stay prepared and continue to improve throughout the season. The first team meet at the Elite Invitational will reflect how hard we've worked in the preseason. At each meet, we are walking through the door trying to be the best we can be in each touch and each moment. We'll maintain focus and intensity throughout the day then be ready to get back to work to be better at the next meet. I expect improvement throughout the season, but i also expect us to be strong from the beginning"
Temple opens its 2022-23 campaign at home with the Temple Open on Oct. 29 before closing the preseason at the Garret Open hosted by Penn State on Nov. 5.
Despite the change in leadership, Temple's perennially high expectations remain the same.Â
"We're really excited and determined to have as good a season, if not the best season we've ever had," Salmon said. "I know that the team is motivated to work hard, honor coach Franke, and show that nothing has changed. My expectation is that we'll push to be the best we can be and improve as we go so that we can bring home another conference championship and go into Regionals strong before heading to NCAAs. The 'typical' Temple season is the goal and expectation of the year."
Even though Salmon is new to leading the Owls on the strip, she is not new to the Cherry and White. A 1995 graduate of Temple, she was a two-time team captain and two-time All-American in addition to being a 1992 National Champion.
"This transition has two sides to it," Salmon said. "Being on campus and working with a program that I grew up in and has inspired me for years feel familiar. But on the other side, it's honoring what Temple student-athletes do while also bringing in some different ideas and keeping things interesting. Overall, the transition has gone very well. I feel very supported by the department and my colleagues. I also see that the team is really working hard to remember why they are here, who we are as a program, and that nothing has really changed. It's just a new voice saying familiar things."Â
The Owls were ranked in the top-10 by the USFCA in all three rankings releases last season, finishing the year at No. 10. In addition to the top-10 ranking, Franke was named a Women's Team Collegiate Coach of the Year Finalist, assistant coach Tasia Ford was named Women's Team Collegiate Assistant Coach of the Year Finalist, Naomi Ross was named a Women's Epee Collegiate Athletes of the Year Finalist and Anna Novoseltseva was named a a Women's Foil Collegiate Athletes of the Year Finalist. Novoseltseva would go on to be named the Foilist of the Year.
"We want to continue to push what we've always pushed," Salmon said. "Top-5 is a goal but top-10 is something that we expect to maintain. With Nikki at the helm, they met their goals last year but I do feel the experience on the team will support us in reaching the goals we have this year. We want to qualify athletes to Regionals and NCAAs, but individuals having success in this program comes from the body of work that we do together as a team. Anyone who accomplishes going to NCAAs is the cherry on top of the season, but we have to look at the entire team to make that happen."
What once was described as a young team can now be described as a veteran team. The squad is home to five seniors, six juniors, and five sophomores. Seven Owls have competed at the NCAAs, with Ross and Novoseltseva representing the Cherry and White last year in Notre Dame, Ind.
"The team has really gelled together," Ford said. "We're slowly becoming an experienced team so it's going to be an exciting year for us. We have fresh ideas and fresh excitement, and our squads are continuing to build on their strong foundation."
With so many familiar faces on the roster, there are several Owls to watch this season.
"Anna qualified for NCAAs last year as a freshman and won many accolades so she's someone to continue to keep an eye on. Naomi is in her senior year after qualifying for NCAAs last year, and she continues to be such a great captain and a go-getter. In sabre, Zoe Turner is returning from an injury that kept her out most of last year. Eva Ventura had a strong freshman year for us last season, so we're excited to continue seeing her grow now that she has a year under her belt."
Temple welcomed two freshmen in the offseason, with Renee Oymann fencing foil and Anne-Mai Melles fencing epee.
"Renee and Annie are both coming to us as international students," Salmon said. "They both have gelled well with the team and are fully on board with the rigor and our expectations. In the classroom, they have been conscientious and hard working so we see that they are embracing the balance of what it takes to be successful at Temple. We expect both of them to contribute this season on the strip and we're excited to see their debut at the Temple Open and to have them get used to collegiate fencing."
The epee and foil squads see each see four NCAA Regional qualifiers and one NCAA Championship qualifier return to the strip this season.
"It's been really fun working with the epee squad," Salmon said. "They're like sponges and I love that. The squad has athletes who come with a strong resume of success. Margherita Calderaro came to us very experienced and has had a good three years so we're excited for her fourth year. Epee is really engaged and super bonded to each other. We're working hard to have them really capitalize on their individual strengths while also supporting each other and employing the strategies and tactics in those five-touch bouts that happen in college.
"Foil is really enthusiastic and supportive of each other. They've been supportive of the coaching change and open minded. One of the biggest challenges we'll see as a coaching staff is who is going to fence and when because they are all working so hard. It's a good problem to have when there's six athletes who are saying 'I want this and I'm working hard for it.' They are really challenging us as coaches to make those critical decisions throughout the season."
Sabre is the most experienced squad on the team, with no new additions occurring during the summer.
"The sabre squad didn't need to train anyone for the upcoming season because everyone was here last year. Last year was a time to grow and learn from each other. It came with ups and downs, but I think that they are ready to explode and take on the challenge of the year now that they know what to expect."
Being a yearly top-10 contender comes with a challenging schedule, and this season is no exception. In addition to the nine collegiate events that the Owls will compete in, the fencers will also have the opportunity to compete in the USA Fencing system with two North American Cup events and the Junior Olympics on the schedule.
"One of the great things about the season is that we have an incredibly strong schedule," Salmon said. "We'll have to stay prepared and continue to improve throughout the season. The first team meet at the Elite Invitational will reflect how hard we've worked in the preseason. At each meet, we are walking through the door trying to be the best we can be in each touch and each moment. We'll maintain focus and intensity throughout the day then be ready to get back to work to be better at the next meet. I expect improvement throughout the season, but i also expect us to be strong from the beginning"
Temple opens its 2022-23 campaign at home with the Temple Open on Oct. 29 before closing the preseason at the Garret Open hosted by Penn State on Nov. 5.
Players Mentioned
Epee
/ Women's Fencing
Epee
/ Women's Fencing
Foil
/ Women's Fencing
Foil
/ Women's Fencing
Epee
/ Women's Fencing
Sabre
/ Women's Fencing
Sabre
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