Jan. 21, 2011
2011 NYU Invitational
Saturday, January 22 Coles Sports Center New York, N.Y.
2011 Philadelphia Invitational
Sunday, January 23 McGonigle Hall Philadelphia, Pa.
2010-11 Northwestern Fencing Statistics
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern faces its biggest challenge of the 2010-11 dual meet season this weekend, heading east for a pair of dual meet tournaments. The Wildcats will face 12 schools over the course of the weekend, five of which are ranked among the nation's top-10 with two others receiving votes.
"This will be a challenging weekend for our girls," said head coach Laurie Schiller. "We have a young team and they will be tested. We've got a big day Saturday at NYU, then we'll head down to Philadelphia for another big day Sunday. Obviously as a coach you want to win them all, but I'm eager to see how the girls respond against some of the top teams in the country."
Northwestern spends Saturday in the Big Apple, competing in the 2011 NYU Invitational where the Wildcats will open the day against sixth-ranked Columbia at 7 a.m. NU then faces Yale, who was receiving votes in this week's poll, before getting its first look at a pair of conference rivals in top-ranked Notre Dame and 10th-ranked Ohio State. The Wildcats close out the day against Wayne State and host NYU.
Following the meet, Schiller and his crew will make the bus trip south to Philadelphia for the 2011 Philadelphia Invitational, hosted by Temple University. Northwestern's Sunday begins bright and early at 7:30 a.m. CT against the ninth-ranked Owls before bouts against Drew and Johns Hopkins. The Wildcats' final match-up against a ranked opponent will be against eighth-ranked Penn before closing out the weekend facing NJIT and Sacred Heart.
The Wildcats have historically fared well against their weekend opponents, leading the overall series record against seven of this weekend's opponents, including being undefeated against Drew, Johns Hopkins, NJIT and Sacred Heart. Northwestern is even in its all-time series with both Temple (14-14) and Penn (5-5), with only Notre Dame, Ohio State and Columbia holding the series edge against the Wildcats.
Northwestern is 5-0 in dual meet competition this season, sweeping past UC San Diego, Florida, Air Force, Stanford and Cal Tech at the UC San Diego West Invitational on January 8. The Tritons, Falcons and Cardinal were all among teams receiving votes in the first USFCA Coaches Poll.
FENCING NOTES
Northwestern is ranked seventh in the first USFCA College Fencing Coaches Poll of the 2011 season. The Wildcats are one of three Midwest Fencing Conference schools among the nation's top-10, with Notre Dame checking in at No. 1 and Ohio State ranking 10th.
Northwestern Director of Athletics Jim Phillips announced Thursday, January 20, that the lobby at Patten Gymnasium on the Northwestern University campus will be renamed the Laurie Schiller Lobby. Schiller, who is in his 33rd season as the Wildcats' head coach, is just the second fencing coach in NCAA history to surpass 1,000 career victories.
2011 NYU Invitational Schedule
Saturday, January 22
Round One - Northwestern vs. No. 6 Columbia 7 a.m. CT
Round Two - Northwestern vs. Yale 8:15 a.m. CT
Round Three - Northwestern vs. No. 1 Notre Dame 9:30 a.m. CT
Round Four - Northwestern vs. No. 10 Ohio State 10:45 a.m. CT
Round Five - Northwestern vs. Wayne State 12:30 p.m. CT
Round Six - Northwestern vs. NYU 1:45 p.m. CT
2011 Philadelphia Invitational Schedule
Sunday, January 23
Round One - Northwestern vs. No. 9 Temple 7:30 a.m. CT
Round Two - Northwestern vs. Drew 9 a.m. CT
Round Three - Northwestern vs. Johns Hopkins 10:30 a.m. CT
Round Four - Northwestern vs. No. 8 Penn 12 p.m. CT
Round Five - Northwestern vs. NJIT 1:30 p.m. CT
Round Six - Northwestern vs. Sacred Heart 3 p.m. CT
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