Fencing Looks to Break Records Yet Again in 2017-18

PHILADELPHIA - Coming off a record-breaking season in 2016-17, Temple fencing looks to somehow raise the bar yet again as the Owls continue what has truly become a storied tradition of success in the program. Head coach Dr. Nikki Franke will almost certainly earn her 800th career win in what will be her 46th year at the helm, and to top it all off the Owls have a brand new facility to practice in each day.

The Owls' new space in the TU Pavilion allows for permanent flooring for six fencing strips at all times. The team shares the space with men's crew and women's rowing, with a partition set up between the ergometers and the fencing area.

"The new facility is really amazing in terms of our training," said Franke. "Our team now gets to train in an area that is very similar to what a competition area looks like, which is very different from our old facility. Having that environment and that physical space with strips and the new equipment we've purchased just makes practice run so much more smoothly. It really simulates a competition atmosphere which is going to be a big plus."

With 34 wins last season, the Owls surpassed their previous high by six and also set new winning records in all three weapons. In early March, Temple earned its highest-ever national ranking of sixth in the College Fencing 360 Coaches Poll after beating previously undefeated and #1 Princeton while also coming out victorious against #4 Penn.

After a season like that, it's tough to imagine raising the bar yet again, but that is exactly what Temple intends to do.

"The team has very high expectations," said Franke. "They're driven to do even better than last year. Although we lost some key people, the majority of the team is returning. So that experience is only going to help us improve this year. They definitely have the drive to surpass last year's results and to be the best Temple team ever."

The 2017-18 team has a good balance of veterans and newcomers this season, which Franke believes will work to the Owls' advantage.

"It's nice to have that kind of a balance," she said. "Not only do they have more experience, but they're still building and improving. The balance helps the incoming freshmen. Last year, we were very young. It helps having a little more seniority on the team in terms of helping to relay the team culture to the new fencers."

The lone experienced senior fencer is Safa Ibrahim who achieved honorable mention All-America status last year. Ibrahim has qualified for the NCAA Championships all three years, and will look for her best finish yet in her final season. Although a very soft spoken person, Ibrahim is an outstanding role model and will serve as both the overall team captain and the epee squad leader this season.

"Safa is one of our most consistent fencers in terms of results, in terms of work ethic, and just her day to day effort. She is very quiet and mild-mannered but also a fiercely competitive person," laughs Franke. "The girls have a great deal of respect for Safa both for who she is as a fencer and who she is as a person, so that's going to work very well."

Joining Ibrahim as squad leaders are juniors Auset Muhammad (foil) and Blessing Olaode (sabre). Muhammad won an impressive 67 bouts last season and earned All-NIWFA honors.

"Auset works as hard as you could possibly ask," said Franke. "She's very focused and has improved tremendously in the time she's been here. The sky is the limit for her. She has a lot to offer the team, and she is very good at building a good squad camaraderie."

Olaode, who has 83 career wins, earned a runner-up finish at last year's Temple Open and was a semifinalist at the NCAA Regionals.

"Blessing is someone who the team respects because of how she approaches each and every practice in a very positive way," said Franke. "She's a very astute person. She's very committed to the team and that's a good trait to have as a leader."

"I think with their different personalities, they will blend together very well," said Franke about the mix of Ibrahim, Muhammad and Olaode. "They each have their own strengths. That's something I think we'll see really work for the team."

Five newcomers join the Owls this year, including four true freshmen in Eva Hinds (Oregon City, Ore./sabre), Marielle Luke (Anchorage, Alaska/epee), Megan Ross (Fairport, N.Y./foil) and Kari Weiner (Bielefeld, Germany/foil). Another newcomer is junior Allison Pierok (Cincinnati, Ohio/foil) who joined the team as a walk-on this year. The geographically diverse group brings in a wealth of talent, and has hit the ground running.

"Our freshmen have come in very committed and very open," said Franke. "They want to learn and get better. They do everything that's asked of them, so they will really shine and improve as the year goes on. The fact that they've fit right into our team culture and what we're about has made their transition very easy."

The sophomore class of Malia Hee (sabre), Kennedy Lovelace (foil), Kerry Plunkett (sabre) and Camille Simmons (epee) made quite an impact in their rookie campaign. Both Hee and Lovelace now hold all-time records in their weapons for wins in a season, and Plunkett earned an NCAA Tournament berth as a freshman.

The seven-member junior class makes up a bulk of the squad. In addition to Muhammad and Olaode, Quinn Duwelius (epee), Fiona Fong (epee), Ally Micek (epee) and Jessica Rockford (sabre) are back for their third year with the Owls while Pierok will be competing in her first year as a member of the Temple team.

One thing every member of every class has in common is the ultimate goal - to earn a spot at the NCAA Championships. Despite the success Temple had a year ago, Coach Franke and the Owls hoped for more than the two berths earned by Ibrahim and Plunkett.

"Selection to NCAA Championships is getting more and more difficult," she said. "The schools in our region keep getting stronger. The number of allotments has not changed for our region, so we only get seven qualifiers in epee and sabre and only six in foil out of a region that has Penn, Penn State, UNC, Duke and Princeton. So it's going to be very tough.

"All we can do is prepare the team as best we can by having a very strong schedule. We meet every strong school, most of them twice. So they have a chance to see the competition and see what they need to work on to be able to reach that ultimate goal. We are more than capable, but we just need to perform to our capabilities."

Key to helping Franke prepare the team to perform at its peak will be fifth-year assistant coach Josh Herring (sabre) and first-year volunteer assistant coach Alex Keft (epee), fresh off a standout four-year career with the Owls.

With 781 wins heading into the 2017-18 season, Franke needs just 19 more to reach the 800-win plateau. The Hall of Fame coach has retired from her faculty position at Temple, and now focuses solely on coaching the fencing team. She credits each and every one of her teams for their part in her career milestones, and said those milestones never stop being meaningful for her.

"Oh, absolutely," she said. "It's meaningful because it shows the work that the girls put in. It's really not a reflection of me, but a reflection of this team and of every team that has come through Temple. I cherish each and every one of them."

Temple University Athletics

Fencing Looks to Break Records Yet Again in 2017-18

Players Mentioned

Quinn Duwelius

Fiona Fong

Malia Hee

Eva Hinds

Safa Ibrahim

Kennedy Lovelace

Marielle Luke

Ally Micek

Auset Muhammad

Blessing Olaode

Allison Pierok

Kerry Plunkett

Jessica Rockford

Megan Ross

Camille Simmons

Kari Weiner

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