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Sports

Fencing Coaches Featured in Sports Illustrated

Jeff and Jennie Salmon among the magazine's "Faces in the Crowd."

Jeff and Jennie Salmon, the head coaches for Ward Melville’s vaunted boys and girls fencing teams, are featured in this week’s edition of Sports Illustrated as “Faces In The Crowd.”

Under the Salmons’ watch, the Patriots have posted a combined 273-10 record. Jennie has led the Ward Melville girls squad to 10 consecutive unbeaten seasons, and with Jeff at the helm, the boys have gone unbeaten in five straight seasons. Per “Faces,” 47 fencers who were coached by the Salmons have competed for NCAA programs, with four of them garnering All-America honors.

The April 18 edition of Sports Illustrated hits newsstands on Wednesday.

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Jeff Salmon was a county champion at Comsewogue High School before competing at Penn State University. After placing in the top 12 as a Nittany Lion, he was an assistant coach for two national championship squads at his alma mater. Salmon started the Fencing Club at Ward Melville in 1995, and that was elevated to varsity status in 1999.

Jennie Salmon fenced for Lakeland Regional High School in Wanaque, N.J., which earned her a scholarship at Temple University. She twice was named an All-American with the Owls and was part of their 1992 national championship team. Salmon became the Patriots girls fencing coach in 2000.

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Together the Salmons founded Mission Fencing Center in Rocky Point in 2001. Also coaching there are Dennis Kolakowski, a three-time Nassau County Coach of the Year at Cold Spring Harbor, and Jeff Wolfe, an assistant at Ward Melville who was nominated for the United States Fencing Association Hall of Fame in 2006 after posting a 288-14 dual-meet record as the coach of Brentwood.

SI’s Faces in the Crowd began in January 1956 and is the longest-running aspect of the magazine. Past “Faces” have included Jack Nicklaus, Magic Johnson, Chris Evert and Emmitt Smith.

The Salmons were featured this week with St. Joseph (Conn.) HS boys basketball coach Vito Montelli, Emerson-Park Ridge (N.J.) HS wrestling coach Stan Woods, Marblehead (Mass.) HS girls swimming coach Susan Guertin, Iowa State University hockey coach Al Murdoch and Austin LBJ (Texas) HS girls basketball coach Joe Lombard.

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