March 3, 2004
EVANSTON, Ill.--After a two-week break, Northwestern's sixth-ranked women's fencing team (29-4) is ready for action again, which it will get at the Midwest Collegiate Fencing Championships March 6-7 in Notre Dame, Ind.
In the 2003 tournament, NU took third place, which head coach Laurie Schiller believes his team can top this year, even with the long layoff.
"The team is rested and ready," said Schiller. "We are as prepared as we can be for the tournament. If we can win those critical bouts, we can certainly better our (2003) performance."
Sabreist Mai Vu (New York, N.Y./Bronx Science) is one of many NU fencers that will be expected to lead Northwestern this weekend. The freshman sports a 31-10 record in dual competition and is carrying a six bout-winning streak into the event. Vu also is coming off a 25th-place finish at the Junior Olympic Championships.
NU last participated in dual competition at the Penn Duals, where it won three matches while dropping just one. In defeating No. 9 Harvard, the 'Cats notched their second win over a top-ten opponent in the month of February.
The Wildcats will have to be wary of the top teams in the nation, including No. 1 Notre Dame and No. 2 Ohio State, both of which are expected to make runs at the Championships. Ten other schools round out the field of competition.
"The field is definitely tougher this year," said Schiller. "But we are a better team, too. I am confident we can win a gold medal in any weapon."
All the team competition will take place on Saturday, and the individual competition will take place the following day. Times have yet to be announced.