Temple fencer fueled by competing with nation’s best

Lauren Johnson racked up 50 wins as a freshman and has carried her success into her sophomore season.

Lauren Johnson has become one of the Owl's best fencers in her first two seasons. | COURTESY / TEMPLE ATHLETICS

Lauren Johnson never expected to fall in love with fencing when she first discovered the sport in middle school. The Temple sabreuse spent most of her childhood as a gymnast until she was introduced to the DC Fencers Club in Silver Spring, Maryland.

“My parents were like, ‘Okay, why don’t you just try a class out?’” Johnson said. “I enjoyed it a lot. I liked my coach, and he was a big reason why I decided to keep doing it.”

Johnson quickly fell in love with the sport and never looked back, becoming a star on the strip during her high school career. She landed at Temple last year and took the team by storm in her first season on North Broad Street.

However, Johnson wasn’t expected to immediately step into the spotlight as a freshman.

The Owls entered the year with a loaded roster that included fellow sabreuse Eva Ventura and foilist Anna Novoseltseva. But early presumptions were thrown out the window in the first meet of the season when Johnson was thrust into the lineup for Arwen Gormley. She took the opportunity and made the best of it, securing 50 wins and a spot in the NCAA Championships. Now in her second season, Johnson is looking to use her newfound confidence to continue her success.

“At first, it was very nerve-racking,” Johnson said. “Being put in the positions where you have to close the bout, or if you are in the last bout for the whole team and at first it was nerve-racking. As [Temple assistant coach] Tasia Ford kept putting me in those positions, I got more confident each time.”

Johnson’s success has carried into 2025, where she has racked up 30 wins through the first month of the season. Some of her wins have come against high-level competitors like Yale, Columbia, Princeton and Penn. While many falter going against the best, Johnson has yet to stumble. In fact, the competition fuels her, she said.

“I always end up fencing better against tougher opponents,” Johnson said. “I really want to beat them, this is a good chance for me to measure myself against them.” 

In addition to becoming a staple on the Owls’ roster, Johnson has also matured off the strip. Coming into a team made up of mostly upperclassmen can be overwhelming, so her teammates took Johnson under their wing and have seen her grow.

The anxiety Johnson dealt with when she first arrived at Temple went away throughout the course of the season. Her teammates have seen her break out of her shell during her career and the confidence she lacked as a freshman slowly build up. 

“I have seen her mature a lot since she was a freshman,” Ventura said. “She had a really good season and I don’t feel like that affected her as she keeps the same mindset. She is very true to herself and confident, she is also very consistent in her work and if that worked last year, it will work this year.”

Johnson’s teammates aren’t the only ones who have seen an entirely different attitude from her. Ford, who recruited Johnson and works directly with the sabres, has also watched her grow. For the past year, Ford has helped make sure the sabreuse hasn’t gotten too high or too low so that she can flourish when the time comes to have success on the strip.

The relationship between Johnson and Ford has evolved ever since Ford brought her to Temple. Johnson views Ford as a mentor who has helped her reach her potential. Ford was in Johnson’s exact position a decade ago, dawning the Cherry and White from 2010-14 and advancing to regionals every season of her college career.

While the end goal for Johnson is to return to the NCAA Championships, a stage she graced as a freshman, Ford is primarily focused on growing her to be the best she can be one match at a time, she said.

“My job as a coach is to not put that stress on her,” Ford said. “Not being like, ‘You need to win this bout to go to championships,’ being more like, ‘I believe in you at this moment and I know you can handle going up against the toughest people in the country.’ Giving her that confidence is important because our season is not just one bout or one match, it’s a very long process so it’s just taking one step at a time.”

As Johnson’s second season begins to ramp up, her goal of a second straight trip to the NCAA Championship grows larger. Temple came into the season with championship aspirations, but the No. 11 Owls still have two months to achieve their goals.

For Johnson, the reality is that she will soon become the leader of a team that is slowly solidifying itself. The 2025 season is the final year for Ventura and Novoseltseva, leaving Johnson as the apparent heir  when the duo leaves. While Johnson has come into her own since arriving at Temple, the team isn’t looking to put the pressure on her at the moment.

“The biggest takeaway for me is to not put too much pressure on myself throughout the season and really rely on my teammates and everyone to help and support me,” Johnson said.” Also, taking away the mental aspect, trying to just enjoy what I do.”

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