Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern to Tangle with Ivy Leaguers
2/7/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Fencing
Feb. 7, 2003
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern gets a break from the Midwest Collegiate Conference on Saturday, as it travels to the Columbia Duals in New York. NU begins its Ivy League triple dip with Brown at 9 a.m., followed by Columbia and Yale.
The Wildcats' sabreists are off to a 24-2 start, including last weekend's win against second-ranked Notre Dame. Lauren Dunn (Sacramento, Calif./Del Campo) and Lauren Van Gieson (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Valley), both sophomores, are climbing the NU record books. Dunn is already tied for fourth in career wins with 114, and Van Gieson is sixth with 96. Freshman Emily Pasternak (Wilmette, Ill./New Trier) has fit right in, putting together an impressive 43-8 mark thus far.
"Our sabreists really need to fence well," said NU head coach Laurie Schiller. "If they can win six or seven bouts each dual we should be fine. I feel like we can win all three this weekend."
After losing all three of its starters from last year, sophomore Kelsey Nencheck (Morristown, N.J./Morristown) and freshman Sharon Sullivan (Fairport, N.Y./Fairport) have stepped in to lead the ep?e squad to 18 wins thus far. Nencheck's 39 wins this season are more than twice as many as last, and Sullivan's 49-11 record is the second best on the team.
NU is 1-0 against Yale, the ninth-ranked team in the country. Northwestern also holds a 4-1 series advantage against Brown, but a 3-1 deficit against host Columbia. The Wildcats are 21-11 against the Ivy League.
