Temple University Athletics
Women's Fencing
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- tasia.ford@temple.edu
- Phone:
- (215) 204-1627
| Temple Coaching Experience | ||||
| Year | Women's Overall Record |
Women's Sabre Record | Postseason | |
| 2024-25 | 33-11 | 27-17 | NIWFA Champs., NCAA Championship Qualifiers (1) | |
| 2023-24 | 25-16 | 32-9 | NIWFA Champs., NCAA Championship Qualifiers (2) | |
| 2022-23 | 30-17 | 26-21 | NIWFA Champs., NCAA Championship Qualifiers (1) | |
| 2021-22 | 24-14 | 21-17 | NIWFA Champs., NCAA Championship Qualifiers (2) | |
| 2020-21 | 11-4 | 9-6 | NIWA Champs., NCAA Championship Qualifiers (6) | |
| Total | 123-62 | 125-70 | ||
Tasia Ford, a Temple fencing alum, joined the staff as a part-time sabre coach during the spring of 2020 before being promoted to a full-time coach for the 2020-21 season.
The 2023-24 season saw Temple finish with a 25-16 record in dual play and achieve a No. 9 ranking in the end-of-season USFCA standings.
Primarily working with the sabre squad, Ford helped guide the group to a 32-9 mark, which was good for the third highest win total for Temple sabriests all time, and just three short of the team record set during the 2016-17 season.
The Owls faced a multitude of top-15 teams throughout the season, and earned wins over No. 2 Notre Dame, No. 3 Columbia, No. 11 St. Johns, and No. 13 Ohio State.
In postseason play, Temple extended its NIWFA Championship to 28-straight, earning weapons titles in foil and sabre, as well as two individual titles (Marherita Calderaro - epee and Anna Novoseltseva - foil). Calderaro and Novoseltseva were joined by sabreist Lauren Johnson on the All-NIWFA First Team, while Alex Weinberg, Lindsey Minor, and Natalie Adams-Kim were named to the Second Team. Additionally, Arwen Gormley was named to the NIWFA All-Academic Team.
The Owls sent the maximum 12 fencers to NCAA Regionals, where Anna Novoseltseva, Margherita Calderaro, Lauren Johnson, and Eva Ventura advanced to the finals. Novoseltseva earned the highest finish among the group, a fifth-place foil showing. Novoseltsa and Johnson, who placed eighth in sabre, were selected to represent Temple at the NCAA Championships.
At the NCAA Championships, the Cherry and White finished 15th overall. Both Johnson and Novoseltseva finished with 11 bout wins at the event.
In her third season as assistant coach, Ford helped guide the Owls to a 30-17 record, marking just the third time in program history they achieved 30 or more wins in dual play. Temple remained ranked No. 11 in all three USFCA Rankings releases and secured impressive wins over No. 3 Columbia and No. 7 Penn State. At the NIWFA Championship, the Cherry and White extended its streak to 27-straight titles, sweeping all three squad titles and earning individual championships from Margherita Calderaro (epee) and Anna Novoseltseva (foil). Calderaro, Novoseltseva, and Gretl Merges were named All-NIWFA First Team, while Diana Tiburcio earned Second Team and Academic Team honors.
Temple sent the maximum 12 fencers to NCAA Regionals, with Anna Novoseltseva, Elizabeth Novoseltseva, Emma Pincus, and Eva Ventura advancing to the finals. Anna Novoseltseva placed sixth to qualify for the NCAA Championships, while Ventura finished 10th as the first alternate. All four earned All-Region honors, with Anna Novoseltseva named Second Team and the others earning Honorable Mention.
During the 2020-21 season, she helped qualify the maximum number of athletes from their program to be represented at the NCAA Championships. Ford also was named as an Assistant Coach of the Year finalist in both 2021 and 2022.
Ford is a former competitive sabre fencer who has been involved in the sport for 21 years. She gained her start in fencing at Beaches Sabre Club (Troy, N.Y.) where she was coached by Carolyn Washburn-Lapham, the former Canadian National Team member.
She started competing at the age of eight and always consistently made podiums in her age category. Once she was old enough, she fenced in Cadet and Junior World Cups, often placing in the team events. Her most notable finishes were placing third in women's junior sabre at the 2008 Montreal World Cup and leading the women's team to first place in the women’s cadet sabre team event at the Konin World Cup in 2008. These results led her to be recruited to one of the more highly sought-after collegiate Division 1 women's fencing programs at Temple. Here she was coached by Dr. Nikki Franke and Brad Baker.
During her time at Temple, Tasia consistently qualified for regionals all four years (2010-14). Ford was the Sabre Squad Leader her junior year and the overall Team Captain her senior year. Her final record consisted of 123-96.
Post-college, Tasia started working as a professional graphic designer as well as coaching at Delaware Valley Fencers Club in Conshohocken, Pa. She was the assistant coach under Milos Vasic and spent 4 years developing fencers for national-level competitions.
Quote from Ford on women's representation in fencing: “I know I have had a unique experience being coached by two very strong women. This has shaped me into the person I am today. I am someone who advocates for women in sports and realizes first-hand how underrepresented we are in athletics. I am inspired by the young women that I coach and the women that I work with. I want to continue bringing positivity and seriousness to women’s athletics.”
