"I'm really excited," sabre squad coach Tasia Ford said. "The team is young, mostly freshmen and sophomores, so most people haven't seen a full season of collegiate fencing. I can't wait for them to bring their energy and stamina to the strip this year."
The Owls are coming off one of the best seasons in recent history, qualifying the maximum six fencers for the NCAA Championships and a seventh-place finish among 17 women's teams. Of the six NCAA qualifiers from last year, five will return to a squad comprised of mainly underclassmen. Temple welcomed seven newcomers to the squad in the offseason, with two graduate transfers set to wear Cherry and White for their final season as collegiate fencers.
"We're excited about the upcoming season," head coach Dr. Nikki Franke said. "It will be interesting with 11 underclassmen, none of whom have seen a full season. This is all still new for more than half of the team so we don't know what to expect and neither do they, but that makes it exciting. The girls are working very hard and they're very focused and supportive of each other. They just need a little time to develop team chemistry and for them to get used to collegiate fencing."
Veteran Leadership
Ashley Cherry (epee) and Brooke Stanicki (foil) come to Temple from Sacred Heart and Johns Hopkins, respectively, joining six veterans that have seen at least one full season of college fencing. Naomi Ross will serve as the team's captain, while Cassie Navalta will lead the foil squad and Zoe Turner will lead the sabre squad.
Turner was a force on the strip in her sophomore season, qualifying for the NCAA Championships and earning a 17th-place finish. Ross and Navalta will both be competing for their third seasons in Cherry and White, with Ross transferring to Temple as a sophomore and Navalta opting out of last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The leadership team has really stepped up," Franke said. "They've been doing a great job helping our new fencers understand what Temple fencing is about and what the culture and environment are like."
Fresh Faces
Eva Ventura has seen international competition as a native of Madrid, Spain, competing on the World Cup circuit and is currently ranked first for Juniors in Spain. Arwen Gormley saw action on the national circuit, earning bronze at the 2020 Junior Olympics.
New Jersey product Cindy Long has posted three top-10 Division 2 North American Cup finishes, while Lisbon, Portugal native Constança Dimas is a four-time member of the national championship team with her club. Anna Novoseltseva, sister of sophomore Elizabeth Novoseltseva, finished in the top-16 with her club team at the North American Cup her junior year.
"The freshmen have great attitudes and they make it a pleasure to come to practice," Franke said. "They're upbeat with a lot of energy, and they want to make the most of this experience."
Sabre Squad
In addition to Turner, Emma Pincus will help guide four underclassmen. Pincus has a career record of 39-28 and finished last season with a regional ranking of 15. Diana Tiburcio and Alexandra Weinberg got a taste of collegiate fencing during the unusual 2020-21 season, while Ventura and Gormley will bring their wealth of experience from the national circuit to North Broad.
"The sabre squad is unique in that we have two fencers in each class from freshmen to juniors," Ford said. "The juniors have done such a good job at integrating the underclassmen to Temple fencing. They all have a very distinct style and level of experience that they bring to the table so I can't wait to see what they do."
Epee Squad
The most experienced squad on the team, the epee squad is home to a graduate transfer and two of last season's NCAA qualifiers. Margherita Calderaro had one of the best performances of the 2020-21 campaign, qualifying for the NCAA Championships for the second year in a row and setting the program record in for highest individual epee finish (sixth) on her way to earning Second-Team All-American honors.
Sarah Park was the squad's other NCAA qualifier, earning a 16th place finish. She was named Temple Epee MVP at the postseason awards banquet and went 25-12 in her sophomore season. Sara Proctor will look to improve upon her solid freshman season, ending her first year in Cherry and White with a 5-5 record.
"The epee squad has seen the most collegiate competition of any of the squads and they all come from strong backgrounds," Ford said. "They've been working together very well in the offseason and will be a force to be reckoned with on the strip this year."
Foil Squad
The foil squad has two fencers who qualified for the NCAA Championships last year. Elizabeth Novoseltseva went on to finish in 13th place, one spot shy of an Honorable Mention All-America nod, while Anastasia Yankovskiy had to withdraw from the competition.
"The foil squad is young," Franke said. "We have one senior and a grad transfer, but the rest are underclassmen. They're getting used to what we're asking of them and the way we train since it's different than they trained in their clubs. There's going to be an adjustment period but they all have great attitudes and are already open to being coached."
The squad will also see leadership in Stanicki, who saw more than 200 wins during her time as a Blue Jay. Gretl Merges will look to make some noise in her sophomore season, going 14-11 last year and being named the team's Most Improved Fencer at the postseason awards banquet.
Full Slate
"This is my first full season coaching but I know what the season is supposed to be like because I was a student-athlete just a few years ago," Ford said. "I'm excited to see how the girls deal with the competition and how they rely on each other. It'll be tough but we like that and I can't wait for everyone to shine."
Temple will see eight collegiate competitions this year as opposed to last season's four, with four USA Fencing events also on the slate. The team will see two individual collegiate meets before getting into dual play and will only compete twice on North Broad. Postseason play is set for March, with the Cherry and White looking to continue its tradition of strong play through the NCAA Championships at Notre Dame in late March.
"The team is looking forward to a full schedule," Franke said. "Last year was unique and truncated but now they can develop and grow as the season progresses. Nobody should be peaking right now because we want to get better every day so that by the time we get into the bulk of the season the girls are in their prime. They have the skills and the talent, it's just a matter of being consistent throughout the year."
The Owls will open the 2021-22 season this weekend at the 41st Annual Temple Open at the Liacouras Center.
"exciting" - Google News
October 22, 2021 at 06:07AM
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Fencing Set for Exciting 2021-22 Season - Temple University Athletics
"exciting" - Google News
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