Northwestern University Athletics
It's Really Special - Northwestern Fencing Continues to Climb
2/4/2022 11:00:00 AM | Women's Fencing
By: Austin Siegel, NUSports.com
It's tough for Sarah Filby and Alexis Browne to find the right words, to take the entire fencing season and describe it with a slogan, a song or a quote from a Northwestern teammate.
"I know everyone really liked that song 'Barbara Streisand' when we played it the other day," Filby said. "But I can't just leave you with an EDM song."
The Wildcats include fencers who compete in Sabre, Epee and Foil, the three weapons that define a sport only sponsored by 44 NCAA schools, and each squad has their own traditions before they compete.
But in terms of a general sentiment across the entire team, Filby could only come up with one: immense gratitude.
"The fact that we can be here doing this, I've had to remind myself of that several times, because it can get hard," Filby said. "Even on the early mornings it's like, well, a year ago I was lying in bed on crutches and now I get to work out with my friends every day and have that extra year. We have this immense gratitude for every part of the experience."
That any student-athlete would feel that way after the effect of COVID-19 on their college career is remarkable.
But Filby saw the pandemic derail an opportunity to compete at the NCAA Championships, before hip surgery cost her what should have been her senior season in the spring of 2021.
And she isn't the only fencer who saw COVID-19 impact the home stretch of her Northwestern career.
Browne, another graduate student on the Wildcats, arrived on campus in the fall of 2017. The new Patten Gym, home of Northwestern Fencing, hadn't even opened yet. Same goes for Ryan Fieldhouse, where the Wildcats will host the NU Duals this weekend.
If you want to know why these two Wildcats are feeling grateful as they wrap up two of the most challenging careers in the history of Northwestern Fencing, just look around.
"We went from working out in the basement of Patten to these beautiful facilities with fencing strips already laid down," Browne said. "During my first year, we still had to carry down our fencing equipment and set up our strips. It's been a privilege to watch everything change for the better and to benefit from those new facilities."
The Wildcats are about to host a meet with the most spectacular backdrop in college fencing, as they welcome some of the top programs in the nation to Ryan Fieldhouse.
It also means that Filby and Browne are wrapping up their Northwestern careers in a space that didn't exist when they arrived at the school. And they're doing it by winning. A lot.
Both Filby and Browne represented the Wildcats at the NCAA Midwest Regionals in 2020, earning All-American and All-Midwest Fencing Conference honors respectively. This season, both fencers have been part of a Northwestern team that's kept the pedal down.
The No. 8 team in the country (USFCA Coaches' Poll), Northwestern arrives at the NU Duals brimming with confidence after a sweep at the DeCicco Duals in South Bend, Indiana.
The dominant weekend included a victory over No. 1 Notre Dame on their home floor, as the Wildcats became just the second team this season to defeat the Fighting Irish.
"Their roster goes so deep – anyone on their team is going to be a really good fencer. They have two Olympians on their team right now, so there's that intimidation factor," Filby said. "When you fence them on their home turf there's like 80 people cheering against you. They have a really strong team culture, but we do too."
Last summer, Northwestern put together the best season in program history with a third-place finish at the NCAA Championships, while sophomore Sky Miller's second-place finish in the Sabre marked the best individual finish by a fencer in Northwestern history. On paper, this team is stacked.
But the things you can't measure about the Wildcats are just as strong in 2022.
"Being away from the team during COVID and coming back, it's nice to have people who can pick you up on those days when you're not feeling it or get you through the harder times," Browne said. "Especially with classes, everyone struggles sometimes so it's nice to be around people who are supportive instead of trying to figure it out on your own."
In an individual sport like fencing, where only one student-athlete is competing at a time, graduate students like Filby and Browne have learned to lead by example. That also means watching younger fencers come into the program and grow into leadership roles.
"It's been nice to see the team grow and people become even more welcoming," Browne said. "There's a lot more emphasis on creating a team that's inclusive and supports one another."
The resources available to Northwestern fencers have also grown under head coach Zach Moss.
The Wildcats expanded their coaching staff and brought in a new sports performance coach in Dominick Walker. This has also been Northwestern Fencing's first full season in the newly renovated Patten Gym, after the interior of the historic building was completely transformed.
But when they take the floor at Ryan Fieldhouse this weekend for their Senior Day meet, Filby and Browne can still recognize the culture of a program they helped take to new heights.
"I think it's always going to be about the enthusiasm in the team and the support we have for one another. At the end of the day, we know that we have each other's backs," Browne said. "When we first came here, it was harder to see that, but now it's become clear from the moment somebody steps onto the team."
"I would never know most of the people on this team if we weren't fencing together," Filby said. "I think we're very appreciative of how diverse our team is and how different everyone is. We can connect over our shared passion because everyone really appreciates and respects each other in a way that I don't think you always see in other communities. It's really special."
It's tough for Sarah Filby and Alexis Browne to find the right words, to take the entire fencing season and describe it with a slogan, a song or a quote from a Northwestern teammate.
"I know everyone really liked that song 'Barbara Streisand' when we played it the other day," Filby said. "But I can't just leave you with an EDM song."
The Wildcats include fencers who compete in Sabre, Epee and Foil, the three weapons that define a sport only sponsored by 44 NCAA schools, and each squad has their own traditions before they compete.
But in terms of a general sentiment across the entire team, Filby could only come up with one: immense gratitude.
"The fact that we can be here doing this, I've had to remind myself of that several times, because it can get hard," Filby said. "Even on the early mornings it's like, well, a year ago I was lying in bed on crutches and now I get to work out with my friends every day and have that extra year. We have this immense gratitude for every part of the experience."
That any student-athlete would feel that way after the effect of COVID-19 on their college career is remarkable.
But Filby saw the pandemic derail an opportunity to compete at the NCAA Championships, before hip surgery cost her what should have been her senior season in the spring of 2021.
And she isn't the only fencer who saw COVID-19 impact the home stretch of her Northwestern career.
Browne, another graduate student on the Wildcats, arrived on campus in the fall of 2017. The new Patten Gym, home of Northwestern Fencing, hadn't even opened yet. Same goes for Ryan Fieldhouse, where the Wildcats will host the NU Duals this weekend.
If you want to know why these two Wildcats are feeling grateful as they wrap up two of the most challenging careers in the history of Northwestern Fencing, just look around.
T-5 until we are back home ??. #ProtectThisHouse @NU_Sports #GoCats#B1GCats#CardiacCats#Epee #Foil #Sabre #nufencing #northwesternfencing #fencing #fencers #escrime #esgrima #scherma #fechten pic.twitter.com/YjO0u1pAbn
— Northwestern Fencing (@NUWFencing) February 9, 2021
"We went from working out in the basement of Patten to these beautiful facilities with fencing strips already laid down," Browne said. "During my first year, we still had to carry down our fencing equipment and set up our strips. It's been a privilege to watch everything change for the better and to benefit from those new facilities."
The Wildcats are about to host a meet with the most spectacular backdrop in college fencing, as they welcome some of the top programs in the nation to Ryan Fieldhouse.
It also means that Filby and Browne are wrapping up their Northwestern careers in a space that didn't exist when they arrived at the school. And they're doing it by winning. A lot.
Both Filby and Browne represented the Wildcats at the NCAA Midwest Regionals in 2020, earning All-American and All-Midwest Fencing Conference honors respectively. This season, both fencers have been part of a Northwestern team that's kept the pedal down.
The No. 8 team in the country (USFCA Coaches' Poll), Northwestern arrives at the NU Duals brimming with confidence after a sweep at the DeCicco Duals in South Bend, Indiana.
The dominant weekend included a victory over No. 1 Notre Dame on their home floor, as the Wildcats became just the second team this season to defeat the Fighting Irish.
"Their roster goes so deep – anyone on their team is going to be a really good fencer. They have two Olympians on their team right now, so there's that intimidation factor," Filby said. "When you fence them on their home turf there's like 80 people cheering against you. They have a really strong team culture, but we do too."
No. 1 Notre Dame? Sure.
— Northwestern Athletics (@NU_Sports) January 31, 2022
In South Bend? No problem.
HUGE win for Northwestern Fencing.@NUWFencing | #GoCats pic.twitter.com/z8bBOeac8B
Last summer, Northwestern put together the best season in program history with a third-place finish at the NCAA Championships, while sophomore Sky Miller's second-place finish in the Sabre marked the best individual finish by a fencer in Northwestern history. On paper, this team is stacked.
But the things you can't measure about the Wildcats are just as strong in 2022.
"Being away from the team during COVID and coming back, it's nice to have people who can pick you up on those days when you're not feeling it or get you through the harder times," Browne said. "Especially with classes, everyone struggles sometimes so it's nice to be around people who are supportive instead of trying to figure it out on your own."
In an individual sport like fencing, where only one student-athlete is competing at a time, graduate students like Filby and Browne have learned to lead by example. That also means watching younger fencers come into the program and grow into leadership roles.
"It's been nice to see the team grow and people become even more welcoming," Browne said. "There's a lot more emphasis on creating a team that's inclusive and supports one another."
The resources available to Northwestern fencers have also grown under head coach Zach Moss.
The Wildcats expanded their coaching staff and brought in a new sports performance coach in Dominick Walker. This has also been Northwestern Fencing's first full season in the newly renovated Patten Gym, after the interior of the historic building was completely transformed.
But when they take the floor at Ryan Fieldhouse this weekend for their Senior Day meet, Filby and Browne can still recognize the culture of a program they helped take to new heights.
"I think it's always going to be about the enthusiasm in the team and the support we have for one another. At the end of the day, we know that we have each other's backs," Browne said. "When we first came here, it was harder to see that, but now it's become clear from the moment somebody steps onto the team."
"I would never know most of the people on this team if we weren't fencing together," Filby said. "I think we're very appreciative of how diverse our team is and how different everyone is. We can connect over our shared passion because everyone really appreciates and respects each other in a way that I don't think you always see in other communities. It's really special."
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