Wildcats Wrap Up NAC With Strong Final Day

1/8/2018 3:30:00 PM | Women's Fencing

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Northwestern wrapped up the four-day North American Cup in Virginia Beach on Monday on a high note with a team sabre title as well as top-64 finishes in Div. I epee from Pauline Hamilton and Ella Lombard.

Emine Yücel, Alexis Browne, Jacqueline Hua, and Isabella Min competed on the sabre team that won the title on Monday, defeating Cornell, Sheridan Fencing Academy and Boston Fencing Club in the elimination bracket.

Hamilton and Lombard earned senior national ranking points for their top-64 finish in Div. I epee. Amy Jia also received junior points for her top-32 finish in junior foil on Saturday. Lombard's points are the first of her career at the senior level.

The Wildcats started the four-day competition shorthanded due to travel complications along the East Coast. Anya Harkness and Ashley Gomerman were unable to compete the entire weekend, and only three fencers participated in the Div. I foil competition on Friday.

In the senior foil event, first year Sarah Filby started well with a 5-1 record in pools to earn the No. 23 seed heading into the elimination bouts, but was upset in the first round by a narrow 11-10 score. Sophomore Alexandra Banin picked up two wins in pools and was defeated in her first elimination bout, 15-9, to the No. 33 seed Zander Rhodes.

On Saturday, the Wildcats finisjed eighth in team epee, as Marta Amador Molina, Katie Van Riper, Lombard and Hamilton defeated a club called The Mermaids and the DC Fencers Club before falling in the quarterfinal to the third seed, Medeo.

Sophomore Jia led the 'Cats in the junior foil competition, going an impressive 5-1 in pools, and winning two direct elimination bouts. Jia defeated Tiffany Luong in the first round, 15-12, and Sabrina Cho, 14-12, in the second round before falling to eleventh-seed Grace Hao in the round of 32 to finish in 21st place.

Filby posted a 5-1 record in pools, and first year Justine Banbury and Banin advanced to the main draw as well. Filby won her first round matchup, 15-7, over Alina Lee before falling the second roung to Karina Wang by a score of 15-11.

Northwestern was also in action in the junior sabre competition on Saturday, led by Alexis Browne who finished 33rd. Browne was a perfect 6-0 in pools and had a bye into the round of 64, but was stopped early by Thurgood Madison in a 15-11 defeat. Min and Hua were ousted in the first round as well, after picking up three and two wins, respectively, in pools.

Sofia Simontov, Banbury, Banin and Jia advanced to the semifinals of the team foil competition and finished in fourth place on Sunday. The third-seeded Wildcats defeated the Gold Fencing Team, but fell to the second seed Fencing Institute of Texas in the semifinals before being downed by the top-seeded San Francisco Fencer's Club in the third-place fence-off.

Browne paced the 'Cats once more in the Div. I sabre competition on Sunday with a 52nd place finish. Browne tallied three wins in her pool and won her first elimination bout 15-11. Browne was drawn against the second seed Anne-Elizabeth Stone in the round of 64 and was downed 15-6.

Min notched three wins in pools as well, but was stymied in the first round by Esther Bentolila in a tight 15-12 bout.

Van Riper, Amador Molina, and Lombard all had to start the two-day epee competition on Sunday in a preliminary pools round. Van Riper posted an impressive 5-1 record and Lombard picked up four wins to earn a bye into the next set of pools, while Amador Molina faced an intermediary stage elimination bout and was downed 15-8 by Natalie Kim.

Hamilton, who had a bye into Monday's portion of the competition, recorded four wins in the second set of pools, while Lombard had three and Van Riper one. The 27th seeded Eunyoung Jeong took down Van Riper in the first round, 15-9, but Hamilton won her first round-bout, 15-6, as did Lombard, 15-12.

The Wildcats now turn back to the collegiate duals season, where they own a 13-3 record. They will be in action on Sunday at the Western Invitational, hosted by Stanford.

Results

Div. I Foil (Pools, DE)
65. Sarah Filby, 5-1, 0-1
T97. Alexandra Banin, 2-4, 0-1
T138. Lucia Procopio, 0-6

Div. I Sabre (Pools, DE)
52. Alexis Browne, 3-3, 0-1
80. Isabella Min, 3-3, 0-1
103. Jacqueline Hua, 2-4
119. Sacha Bazzal, 1-5,
125. Emine Yücel, 1-5

Div. I Epee (Preliminary Pools, DE, Pools, DE)
42. Pauline Hamilton, 0-0, 0-0, 4-2, 1-1
50. Ella Lombard, 4-2, 0-0, 3-3, 1-1
105. Katie Van Riper, 5-1, 0-0, 1-4, 0-1
145. Marta Amador Molina, 2-4, 0-1

Junior Foil (Pools, DE)
21. Amy Jia, 5-1, 2-1
39. Sarah Filby, 5-1, 1-1
95. Alexandra Banin, 3-3, 0-1jia
106. Justine Banbury, 2-4, 0-1
T138. Sofia Simontov, 1-5

Junior Sabre (Pools, DE)
33. Alexis Browne, 6-0, 0-1
69. Isabella Min, 3-3, 0-1
81. Jacqueline Hua, 2-3, 0-1