Temple University Athletics
Temple Fencing: Focused on the Process
8.28.23 | Women's Fencing
In August 2023, Jennie Salmon was announced as Temple Fencing's new head coach. Just the second head coach in program history, Salmon took over the role from Hall of Fame coach Dr. Nikki Franke, who turned the program from a club sport to a varsity sport in 1972. A 1995 graduate of Temple University, Salmon helped lead the team to its 1992 National Championship, three top-three finishes among the women's programs at the NCAA National Collegiate Championships, and earned two All-America honors. Salmon spent the previous four seasons as the head coach at Brandeis, but the Temple bond remained strong.
"I've followed along with Temple fencing since my time on the strip," Salmon said. "I've been a fan, seen the team at competitions, and spoke with Nikki about the team many times over the years, so I felt like I had a connection to the team."
That connection, however, didn't necessarily go both ways.
"The biggest challenge we faced when I took over the program was getting the team to know me," Salmon said. "Everything happened very quickly and we had to jump right into the season, so the girls had to adjust. Most of the routines and schedules stayed the same, but they were still getting used to a new voice so I think a lot of things felt different to them."
The team had to hit the ground running, with preseason starting less than a month after Salmon took over the program. Temple started strong, with eight fencers earning top-eight finishes in the two preseason meets, including three podium finishes, and entering the USFCA Rankings at No. 11.
Temple's momentum continued into the regular season, with the Owls going 7-4 to close out the 2022 calendar year. The team stumbled a bit coming out of the New Year, going 5-8 in its first three meets of 2023 with all eight losses coming against ranked teams. Despite the losses, however, the Cherry and White remained competitive against top-10 programs and topped a previously undefeated No. 3 Columbia.
"We were fencing top-10 teams, and going toe to toe with them," Salmon said. "Both meets against Cornell, the last meet against Northwestern, the last touch against Penn, all came down to the wire. If we can get that close, we should be able to close the door. It's a balance of talking about what we did right to put us in that position and working on the little things we need to overcome."
The team hit its stride in the final three meets of the regular season, going 18-5 including an undefeated 5-0 at the FDU Invitational. Temple saw wins against Boston College, No. 13 Stanford, and No. 15 St. John's while avenging losses against No. 9 Penn State and UCSD.
"We lost the first Penn State match in a 14-13 heartbreaker," Salmon said. "But we knew we could do better. Having that disappointment and being able to go back to work and turn it around was key for the team to know that we can overcome adversity, that we can improve throughout the season, and that nothing is written in stone. We have a great and supportive team, but particularly in those meets the team as a unit was so present and gelled."
Going into the postseason, the Owls continued their NIWFA dominance and captured their 27th straight team title. Temple swept the three weapons titles for the third straight year and earned two individual titles in Anna Novoseltseva (foil) and Margherita Calderaro (epee).
Twelve fencers were once again sent to the NCAA Regionals, with Novoseltseva finishing sixth to qualify for the NCAA Championships and Eva Ventura (sabre) finishing 10th to qualify as the first alternate for the NCAA Championships. Novoseltseva would go on to finish 22nd at NCAAs.
"We're trying to stay focused on the process," Salmon said. "We can't begin the season talking about winning the conference or going to the NCAAs. This year, we worked on solidifying some aspects of Temple fencing that we all know but wanted to make more concrete. We developed our core values, and put what makes Temple fencing so great into a tangible context."
One of the biggest things that the team honed in on is the feeling that leadership is everyone's responsibility and that everyone has a role in the team's success.
"These are things that the team has heard before," Salmon said. "But re-affirming it and having the team hear it in my voice was important."
The Owls will return a wealth of experience for the 2023-24 season, losing just three seniors with Calderaro and Zoe Turner (sabre) both returning for their fifth year. Six Owls make up the 2024 senior class, and five juniors will return to the strip.
Three freshmen were added to the squad in the offseason, the first class in Temple fencing history to come to North Broad knowing Coach Salmon would be their head coach. The landscape of the Temple fencing program may look different, but at its core, it's still the same.
"Nikki is Temple fencing, I don't see that ever changing," Salmon said. "Her presence is felt, and her name comes up all the time. But as the years go on, that familiarity with her is going to change. The traditions she created that have inspired generations of Temple fencers will continue. What is exciting and fun is the opportunity to create new traditions as well. The culture that I came from is foundational. Temple TUFF is at our core, as is the glue of being a family that aspires to excellence on and off the strip."
"I've followed along with Temple fencing since my time on the strip," Salmon said. "I've been a fan, seen the team at competitions, and spoke with Nikki about the team many times over the years, so I felt like I had a connection to the team."
That connection, however, didn't necessarily go both ways.
"The biggest challenge we faced when I took over the program was getting the team to know me," Salmon said. "Everything happened very quickly and we had to jump right into the season, so the girls had to adjust. Most of the routines and schedules stayed the same, but they were still getting used to a new voice so I think a lot of things felt different to them."
The team had to hit the ground running, with preseason starting less than a month after Salmon took over the program. Temple started strong, with eight fencers earning top-eight finishes in the two preseason meets, including three podium finishes, and entering the USFCA Rankings at No. 11.
Temple's momentum continued into the regular season, with the Owls going 7-4 to close out the 2022 calendar year. The team stumbled a bit coming out of the New Year, going 5-8 in its first three meets of 2023 with all eight losses coming against ranked teams. Despite the losses, however, the Cherry and White remained competitive against top-10 programs and topped a previously undefeated No. 3 Columbia.
"We were fencing top-10 teams, and going toe to toe with them," Salmon said. "Both meets against Cornell, the last meet against Northwestern, the last touch against Penn, all came down to the wire. If we can get that close, we should be able to close the door. It's a balance of talking about what we did right to put us in that position and working on the little things we need to overcome."
The team hit its stride in the final three meets of the regular season, going 18-5 including an undefeated 5-0 at the FDU Invitational. Temple saw wins against Boston College, No. 13 Stanford, and No. 15 St. John's while avenging losses against No. 9 Penn State and UCSD.
"We lost the first Penn State match in a 14-13 heartbreaker," Salmon said. "But we knew we could do better. Having that disappointment and being able to go back to work and turn it around was key for the team to know that we can overcome adversity, that we can improve throughout the season, and that nothing is written in stone. We have a great and supportive team, but particularly in those meets the team as a unit was so present and gelled."
Going into the postseason, the Owls continued their NIWFA dominance and captured their 27th straight team title. Temple swept the three weapons titles for the third straight year and earned two individual titles in Anna Novoseltseva (foil) and Margherita Calderaro (epee).
Twelve fencers were once again sent to the NCAA Regionals, with Novoseltseva finishing sixth to qualify for the NCAA Championships and Eva Ventura (sabre) finishing 10th to qualify as the first alternate for the NCAA Championships. Novoseltseva would go on to finish 22nd at NCAAs.
"We're trying to stay focused on the process," Salmon said. "We can't begin the season talking about winning the conference or going to the NCAAs. This year, we worked on solidifying some aspects of Temple fencing that we all know but wanted to make more concrete. We developed our core values, and put what makes Temple fencing so great into a tangible context."
One of the biggest things that the team honed in on is the feeling that leadership is everyone's responsibility and that everyone has a role in the team's success.
"These are things that the team has heard before," Salmon said. "But re-affirming it and having the team hear it in my voice was important."
The Owls will return a wealth of experience for the 2023-24 season, losing just three seniors with Calderaro and Zoe Turner (sabre) both returning for their fifth year. Six Owls make up the 2024 senior class, and five juniors will return to the strip.
Three freshmen were added to the squad in the offseason, the first class in Temple fencing history to come to North Broad knowing Coach Salmon would be their head coach. The landscape of the Temple fencing program may look different, but at its core, it's still the same.
"Nikki is Temple fencing, I don't see that ever changing," Salmon said. "Her presence is felt, and her name comes up all the time. But as the years go on, that familiarity with her is going to change. The traditions she created that have inspired generations of Temple fencers will continue. What is exciting and fun is the opportunity to create new traditions as well. The culture that I came from is foundational. Temple TUFF is at our core, as is the glue of being a family that aspires to excellence on and off the strip."
Players Mentioned
Epee
/ Women's Fencing
Foil
/ Women's Fencing
Sabre
/ Women's Fencing
Sabre
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