Temple University Athletics
Jennie Salmon Named Temple Fencing Head Coach
8.22.22 | Women's Fencing
PHILADELPHIA – Jennie Salmon, who has served the previous four years as the head coach of women's and men's fencing at Brandeis University, has been named the new head coach of the Temple University women's fencing program, announced Vice President and Director of Athletics Arthur Johnson.
Salmon is just the second head coach in the program's history as she takes over for her former coach, Dr. Nikki Franke, who retired after 50 years at the helm of the program. Salmon, who competed under her maiden name, Dhondt, earned honorable mention All-America honors while helping the Owls win the 1992 NCAA Championship.
A media conference will be held on Tuesday morning (11 am) in the Fox Gittis room of the Liacouras Center to formally introduce Salmon along with remarks from Franke on her incredible 50-year career.
"We are excited to announce that one of our all-time great fencers, Jennie Salmon, will be the next head coach of the Temple Fencing program," said Johnson. "Jennie has led both the men's and women's programs to great success at Brandeis University the last four years and also has over two decades of coaching experience at high school and club levels. Most importantly, she comes highly recommended by her former coach and our Hall of Famer Nikki Franke."
"This is truly a dream come true, to return to my alma mater and succeed my former coach, mentor and great friend Nikki Franke," said Salmon. "Nikki has been an inspiration to not only me but to the countless lives she has touched at Temple. She is the reason I went into coaching. So, this is just a surreal moment in my life's journey, coming full circle and taking over for one of the greatest coaches in the history of the sport is both an honor and a privilege. I aspire to live up to the high standard of success that she has instilled in the program."
In her four years at Brandeis, Salmon helped four different fencers qualify for the NCAA Championships. Last season, sabrist Maggie Shealy became Brandeis's first female National Collegiate All-American in over a decade. Salmon was also named the United States Fencing Coaches' Association Division III Coach of the Year for both Women's and Men's programs, while five of her student-athletes were named USFCA Division III All-Americans, including Shealy, who was named the Division III Women's Sabre Fencer of the Year, and Tony Escueta, named the Division III Men's Sabre and Men's Newcomer of the Year.
In addition, the Brandeis men's and women's teams were named USFCA All-Academic teams all three years since the award was instituted. Numerous student-athletes were named as USFCA Individual All-Academic honors and Scholars of Distinction, while Chris Armstrong was named a CoSIDA Academic All-American.
Prior to arriving at Brandeis in 2018, Salmon was a successful club and high school coach for 22 years, as well as having experience with USA Fencing. In 2001, she co-founded the Mission Fencing Center in Rocky Point, N.Y., with her husband Jeff, and served as the head coach there for 15 years. Her students have consistently been part of NCAA Championship teams and earned numerous All-America honors. Salmon has also coached members of the U.S. Fencing National Cadet and Junior team in all three weapons, including a 10th-place finisher at the 2016 Cadet Women's Foil World Championships.
From 2000 through 2013, she served as head coach at Ward-Melville High School in East Setauket, N.Y.. In her 13 seasons with the Patriots, she coached more than 60 All-Long Island fencers and 42 individual county champions across all weapons and genders. At one point in her tenure, she coached WMHS to 12 consecutive undefeated League championships as her teams earned 174 straight wins, the second-longest high school sports winning streak in Long Island history. She was an eight-time Suffolk County Coach of the Year and two-time Long Island Coach of the Year.
Salmon has also served as a regional consultant for USA Fencing, helping to build the regional tournament system for the US Fencing Association. She has also served as USA Fencing's Youth Development Chair and as a member of that organization's Tournament Oversight Committee and Athlete Handbook Revision Group. In 2015, Salmon received the USA Fencing Jack Baker Volunteer Service Award.
A 1995 Temple graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Early Childhood, Elementary and Special Education, Salmon was a two-time team captain (1993, 1994) as well as a two-time foil All-American. Salmon helped the Owls to three top-three finishes among women's programs at the NCAA Championships, including winning the program's only National Championship in 1992. Salmon also earned a Master of Arts degree in Literacy from Dowling College in 2002.
Salmon is just the second head coach in the program's history as she takes over for her former coach, Dr. Nikki Franke, who retired after 50 years at the helm of the program. Salmon, who competed under her maiden name, Dhondt, earned honorable mention All-America honors while helping the Owls win the 1992 NCAA Championship.
A media conference will be held on Tuesday morning (11 am) in the Fox Gittis room of the Liacouras Center to formally introduce Salmon along with remarks from Franke on her incredible 50-year career.
"We are excited to announce that one of our all-time great fencers, Jennie Salmon, will be the next head coach of the Temple Fencing program," said Johnson. "Jennie has led both the men's and women's programs to great success at Brandeis University the last four years and also has over two decades of coaching experience at high school and club levels. Most importantly, she comes highly recommended by her former coach and our Hall of Famer Nikki Franke."
"This is truly a dream come true, to return to my alma mater and succeed my former coach, mentor and great friend Nikki Franke," said Salmon. "Nikki has been an inspiration to not only me but to the countless lives she has touched at Temple. She is the reason I went into coaching. So, this is just a surreal moment in my life's journey, coming full circle and taking over for one of the greatest coaches in the history of the sport is both an honor and a privilege. I aspire to live up to the high standard of success that she has instilled in the program."
In her four years at Brandeis, Salmon helped four different fencers qualify for the NCAA Championships. Last season, sabrist Maggie Shealy became Brandeis's first female National Collegiate All-American in over a decade. Salmon was also named the United States Fencing Coaches' Association Division III Coach of the Year for both Women's and Men's programs, while five of her student-athletes were named USFCA Division III All-Americans, including Shealy, who was named the Division III Women's Sabre Fencer of the Year, and Tony Escueta, named the Division III Men's Sabre and Men's Newcomer of the Year.
In addition, the Brandeis men's and women's teams were named USFCA All-Academic teams all three years since the award was instituted. Numerous student-athletes were named as USFCA Individual All-Academic honors and Scholars of Distinction, while Chris Armstrong was named a CoSIDA Academic All-American.
Prior to arriving at Brandeis in 2018, Salmon was a successful club and high school coach for 22 years, as well as having experience with USA Fencing. In 2001, she co-founded the Mission Fencing Center in Rocky Point, N.Y., with her husband Jeff, and served as the head coach there for 15 years. Her students have consistently been part of NCAA Championship teams and earned numerous All-America honors. Salmon has also coached members of the U.S. Fencing National Cadet and Junior team in all three weapons, including a 10th-place finisher at the 2016 Cadet Women's Foil World Championships.
From 2000 through 2013, she served as head coach at Ward-Melville High School in East Setauket, N.Y.. In her 13 seasons with the Patriots, she coached more than 60 All-Long Island fencers and 42 individual county champions across all weapons and genders. At one point in her tenure, she coached WMHS to 12 consecutive undefeated League championships as her teams earned 174 straight wins, the second-longest high school sports winning streak in Long Island history. She was an eight-time Suffolk County Coach of the Year and two-time Long Island Coach of the Year.
Salmon has also served as a regional consultant for USA Fencing, helping to build the regional tournament system for the US Fencing Association. She has also served as USA Fencing's Youth Development Chair and as a member of that organization's Tournament Oversight Committee and Athlete Handbook Revision Group. In 2015, Salmon received the USA Fencing Jack Baker Volunteer Service Award.
A 1995 Temple graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Early Childhood, Elementary and Special Education, Salmon was a two-time team captain (1993, 1994) as well as a two-time foil All-American. Salmon helped the Owls to three top-three finishes among women's programs at the NCAA Championships, including winning the program's only National Championship in 1992. Salmon also earned a Master of Arts degree in Literacy from Dowling College in 2002.
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