Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Seek to Defend Western Invitational Crown
1/16/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Fencing
Live Stream - Mountain West Conference Network
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Though they have been idle from intercollegiate competition for the better part of two months, Northwestern roars back into action this weekend as it heads to Colorado Springs, Colo. for the Western Invitational.
The Wildcats got off to a successful start to the dual-meet portion of their schedule back in November. Northwestern rattled off 12 wins in 12 chances at the NU Duals, which were held on Nov. 2 at the Henry Crown Sports Pavilion. During that meet the 'Cats won the 12 rounds by a combined score of 298-26.
The Western Invitational has traditionally served as the first foray back into action for head coach Laurie Schiller and the Wildcats. At last season's event, which was held in Palo Alto, Calif., NU went 5-0 and beat the opposition by a combined cumulative score of 113-22. Northwestern will fence the same five teams - Brandeis, UC San Diego, Air Force, Florida and Stanford - this season, plus Duke. The Purple and White have faced Florida already this season, downing the Gators 24-3 at the NU Duals.
This season's squads feature a strong mix of proven veterans and talented newcomers. Three current 'Cats represented the program at the 2014 NCAA Championships and helped achieve a 15th consecutive top-10 finish at the event. Junior Jen Yamin qualified for the first time as a sophomore, while sophomores Julia Abelsky and Alisha Gomez-Shah also went to Columbus, Ohio for NU as freshmen.
In addition to the talented trio, Northwestern welcomes back several other experienced fencers. Fourteen Wildcats placed in the top 10 at the USFA Burton Open in October, including gold medalists Cindy Oh (sabre) and Stephanie Chan (foil).
Northwestern has also added to its depth by welcoming nine freshmen to Evanston this season. Several have already made significant impacts, including Emine Yücel, a native of Istanbul, Turkey, who finished as the runner up to Oh at the Burton Open and in fifth place at the USFA Remenyik Open.
Schiller is seeking a milestone victory this weekend as he brings the 'Cats to the Air Force Academy. Now in his 38th season, the head coach owns 1,195 career victories. The Wildcats face Stanford in their fifth match of the Western Invitational Saturday.
A live stream of the Western Invitational is available through the Mountain West Conference Network.
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