Nov. 16, 2003
NU Duals - Northwestern Team Results
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EVANSTON, Ill. -- In what was one of the most competitive dual meets the Northwestern fencing team has this season, the Wildcats were able to beat four schools, while only narrowly losing to another, at the three-day NU Duals at SPAC.
"This was the best we have fenced in the last few years," said head coach Laurie Schiller, whose team improves to 10-2 overall, 7-2 in the Midwest Conference. "Our team had a lot of heart and spirit, and it certainly showed today."
In the morning, NU garnered 21-6 wins over both Fairleigh Dickinson and North Carolina. Against the Knights, Mai Vu (New York, N.Y./Bronx Science) won both of her bouts 5-0 to lead the sabre squad to a 9-0 finish. Then against the Tar Heels, Jessica Florendo (Forest Hills, N.Y./The Dwight School) won 5-0, 5-3 and 5-1 in helping the foil squad rack up a 9-0 score.
Temple proved to be a more difficult opponent, but the 'Cats still pulled a 20-7 win. Lauren Van Gieson (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Valley) triumphed by winning her bouts 5-1, 5-4 ad 5-3 as the sabre squad gained an 8-1 victory.
The lone loss for Northwestern came against Notre Dame, which won 15-12. The NU foil squad was the only squad to win (5-4), due in large part to Florendo and Julia F?ldi (Budapest, Hungary/Szent Istavan Gimnazium), both of whom beat two-time defending NCAA champion Alicja Kryczalo by scores of 5-2 and 5-3, respectively.
"Those wins against Alicja were truly remarkable," said Schiller. "That was the turning point for the foil squad to get the win."
NU was able to bounce back in its last competition, routing Lawrence 24-3. Morgan Engling (Dubuque, Iowa/Dubuque) won her bouts 5-0 and 5-1 in paving the way for the sabre squad to a 9-0 win.
The Wildcats, as individuals, will next compete at the Illinois Junior Olympics Qualifier Nov. 23 at Patten Gymnasium.