Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Play Host To 2011 Northwestern Duals This Weekend
2/4/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Fencing
Feb. 4, 2011
2011 Northwestern Duals
Date: Saturday, Feb. 5 and Sunday, Feb. 6
Time: Meets beginning at 8 a.m. both days
Site: Sports and Aquatic Center (SPAC) • Evanston, Ill.
2011 Northwestern Duals Women's Results
2010-11 Northwestern Fencing Statistics
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Seventh-ranked Northwestern returns to the home strips this weekend, hosting the Northwestern Duals at the Sports and Aquatic Center (SPAC) on Saturday, Feb. 5 and Sunday Feb. 6. The Wildcats have 10 matches on its weekend slate, including three against fellow top-10 opponents.
"We're looking forward to a great weekend as we get to finally fence at home," said head coach Laurie Schiller. "We've had a challenging schedule up to this point and this weekend doesn't get any easier as we have some high caliber teams coming to the event. Our girls are excited to be able to compete at home, and this event continues to get better every year."
Competition gets underway at 8 a.m. both days with Northwestern hosting UC San Diego in the first round Saturday morning. NU earned a 25-2 decision over the Tritons in the opening match of the UC San Diego West Invitational on January 8.
The Wildcats then face a pair of ranked opponents in ninth-ranked Temple and 10th-ranked Ohio State in rounds two and three. The Wildcats have already faced both foes this season, besting the Owls 15-12 at the Philadelphia Invitational and dropping a 14-13 heartbreaker to the Buckeyes at the NYU Duals.
Northwestern closes out the first day of competition against Fairleigh Dickinson and Cal Tech Saturday afternoon .
Sunday morning Northwestern meets up with Stanford in the day's first meet. The Wildcats defeated the Cardinal, who was receiving votes in the preseason coaches poll, 20-7 at the UC San Diego West Invitational. Northwestern then meets up with North Carolina in round two, pitting Schiller against UNC's Ron Miller in a battle of the two 1,000-win coaches in NCAA history.
Northwestern faces arguably its toughest challenge in round three, drawing fourth-ranked Princeton. The Wildcats then close out the home tournament with a pair of meets against conference opponents, facing Detroit in round four and Cleveland State in round five.
Northwestern enters the weekend with a 22-3 overall record, led by the foil squad's 24-1 weapon mark on the season. Dayana Sarkisova (Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Central) leads the Wildcats in both victories (52) and winning percentage (.929) on the year, with Chloe Grainger (Decatur, Ga./Decatur) leading the sabre squad with a 50-12 record on the year. Kate Cavanaugh has been the epée's top performer, posting a 40-14 record.
Prior to the start of competition Saturday morning, Northwestern's nine seniors will be honored with a recognition ceremony, beginning at 7:40 a.m. The event is free to the public and should last the majority of the day with the men's competition beginning immediately following the women. Periodic updates of the women's matches can be found at the NU Duals Results link on the fencing homepage.
2011 Northwestern Duals Schedule
Saturday, February 5
Round One - Northwestern vs. UC San Diego • 8 a.m.
Round Two - Northwestern vs. No. 9 Temple • 9 a.m.
Round Three - Northwestern vs. No. 10 Ohio State • 10 a.m.
Round Four - Northwestern vs. Fairleigh Dickinson • 11 a.m.
Round Five - Northwestern vs. Cal Tech • Noon
Sunday, February 6
Round One - Northwestern vs. Stanford • 8 a.m.
Round Two - Northwestern vs. North Carolina • 9 a.m.
Round Three - Northwestern vs. No. 4 Princeton • 10 a.m.
Round Four - Northwestern vs. Detroit • 11 a.m.
Round Five - Northwestern vs. Cleveland State • Noon
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