Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Air Force Duals
NU Fencing Shakes Up the Top Ten
2/2/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Fencing
Feb. 2, 2002
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The next United States Fencing Coaches Association Top Ten Poll might see a shuffle after No. 6 Northwestern defeated No. 2 Notre Dame and No. 4 Stanford at the Air Force Invitational Saturday.
The Wildcats (20-1) defeated the Fighting Irish, the Cardinal, and teams from San Diego, Cal State Fullerton and host Air Force in a 5-0 sweep.
Head coach Laurie Schiller, in his 24th year at the helm of the fencing program, picked up his 750th collegiate victory in the second dual. His career record now stands at 753-376.
The dual against Notre Dame was tight, 15-12, affair. Senior ep?e captain Lynn Zuckerman showed grace under pressure, and secured the Wildcats' victory. She and ND's Megan Call were tied a four touches when Zuckerman landed the final hit.
"It was amazing to get the team win," Zuckerman said. "But to be able to win our squad so we're better seeded for conference is important."
Both the sabre and ep?e squads went 5-0 in competition, while the foil squad finished 4-1. Each squad now holds a season record of 20-1.
NU also rolled to a 25-2 victory over Fullerton while defeating both Air Force and San Diego by a score of 19-8.
The dual against Stanford was more intense than the 21-6 score would indicate. Freshman foilist Julia Foldi dropped her first bout of the season to Iris Zimmerman, a two-time world champion and member of the 2000 U.S. Olympic team. Foldi finished 10-2 in Saturday's competition.
Another notable individual performances came from Colorado native and ep?eist Kate Rudkin, who finished 12-1. Rudkin was supported by her parents, who made the trip from nearby Boulder. "This is the first time they have seen a collegiate fencing match," the junior All-American said. "It's usually too far to travel."
On the sabre squad, freshmen Lauren Dunn and Lauren Van Gieson each picked up double-digit victories to help lead the 'Cats. Dunn finished 10-2, while Van Gieson finished 10-3.
The women's fencing team travels to Ohio State for an invitational next weekend.
Air Force Invitational
Northwestern 19, Air Force 8
Foil 5-4
Ep?e 7-2
Sabre 7-2
Northwestern 25, Cal State Fullerton 2
Foil 9-0
Ep?e 7-2
Sabre 9-0
Northwestern 19, San Diego 8
Foil 8-1
Ep?e 5-4
Sabre 6-3
Northwestern 21, Stanford 6
Foil 6-3
Ep?e 9-0
Sabre 6-3
Northwestern 15, Nortre Dame 12
Foil 4-5
Ep?e 5-4
Sabre 6-3
