Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Midwest Conference Championships
Northwestern Places Third At Midwest Conference Championships
3/7/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Fencing
March 7, 2010
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- For the third-straight season, Northwestern wrapped up the Midwest Fencing Conference Championships with a third-place finish in the team competition. The Wildcats placed second in both the epée and foil while finishing third overall in the sabre.
Northwestern continued to establish its reputation as one of the top teams in the country, as its third-place finish at the 2010 Championships marks the 17th-consecutive year head coach Laurie Schiller's squad has placed among the conference's top three. The Wildcats tallied 620 team points on the afternoon, finishing 15 points back of second-place Ohio State and 30 points behind top-ranked Notre Dame.
One day after having 12 fencers place among the top-10 individually, including freshman Alicia Gurrieri's (Medford, N.J./Moorestown Friends) gold medal performance in the women's sabre, Northwestern continued its solid weekend performance. The Wildcats were the two-seed in the epée and easily roared past Lawrence (5-1) and Indiana (5-0) to advance to the semifinals against third-seeded Ohio State. Northwestern took a convincing 5-1 decision over the Buckeyes before falling to Notre Dame 5-1 in the weapon final.
Entering the women's foil as the three-seed, Northwestern routed both Oberlin and Indiana, notching a pair of 5-0 decisions. The Wildcats then met up with the second-seeded Irish in the semifinals, taking the 5-3 victory on Notre Dame's home turf to advance to the finals against top-seeded Ohio State. The Wildcats and Buckeyes battled back and forth, but ultimately NU dropped a tough 5-4 decision to earn runner-up honors.
Women's sabre also earned the three-seed, and similar to the foil, opened up competition with a pair of 5-0 decisions over Wisconsin and Wayne State. After Northwestern dropped a tough 5-0 match to second-seeded Notre Dame in the semifinals, the Wildcats responded to take down Michigan State 5-2 to capture third in the sabre.
With the conference championships behind them, the Wildcats now set their sights on the NCAA tournament, which begins this coming weekend in the friendly confines of the Sports and Aquatic Center (SPAC). Northwestern will host the NCAA Midwest Regional, beginning Saturday, March 13 and wrapping up Sunday, March 14.
2010 Midwest Fencing Conference Championships Team Results
Women's Epée
First round - Northwestern 5, Lawrence 1
Quarterfinals - Northwestern 5, Indiana 0
Semifinals - Northwestern 5, Ohio State 1
Finals - Notre Dame 5, Northwestern 1
Women's Foil
First round - Northwestern 5, Oberlin 0
Quarterfinals - Northwestern 5, Indiana 0
Semifinals - Northwestern 5, Notre Dame 3
Finals - Ohio State 5, Northwestern 4
Women's Sabre
First round - Northwestern 5, Wisconsin 0
Quarterfinals - Northwestern 5, Wayne State 0
Semifinals - Notre Dame 5, Northwestern 0
Third-Place - Northwestern 5, Michigan State 2
