Northwestern University Athletics
Nine 'Cats Set For Junior Olympics
2/10/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Fencing
Feb. 10, 2004
EVANSTON, Ill.--Northwestern's fifth-ranked women's fencing team will have nine representatives compete this weekend in the USFA Junior Olympics Fencing Championships in Cleveland, Ohio.
In the 2003 event, Sharon Sullivan (Fairport, N.Y./Fairport) paced all Wildcats with her ninth-placing showing in the junior women's epee division. The sophomore also leads her squad with a 45-13 dual record.
"Sharon has been fencing pretty well," said head coach Laurie Schiller. "I think she, along with several of the other NU fencers, can place in the top 10."
Sullivan will be joined by fellow epeeists Sara Pecherek (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South), who took 88th last year as a high school student, and freshman Courtney DuBois (Chatham, N.J./Oak Knoll).
The other two NU squads will likewise have three fencers apiece appear in the tournament. For foil, freshman Jessica Florendo (Forest Hills, N.Y./The Dwight School) and sophomore Christina Wang (Milpitas, Calif./Castilleja) will make return visits. The former took 22nd while the latter placed 27th, and both will be joined by newcomer Lauren Olson (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif./Bishop Montgomery).
In sabre, sophomore Emily Pasternak (Wilmette, Ill./New Trier) will tag along with freshmen Sophie Eustis (Andover, Mass./Concord Academy) and Mai Vu (New York, N.Y./Bronx Science), who finished last year 56th and 60th, respectively.
"This event will have lots of good college fencers who are still fencing in the juniors," said Schiller. "Thus, this will not be anything new to our freshmen (who have competed in this before). I expect our team to go out there and be comfortable."
The junior women's sabre competition will be held first, beginning at 2 p.m. Saturday. That will be followed by junior women's foil at 10 a.m. Sunday, and junior women's epee at noon Monday.
