Pirkowksi, Shearer Land On Podium At Junior Olympics

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (February 17, 2025) – Amanda Pirkowski and Natalie Shearer both secured podium finishes to lead No. 3 Northwestern fencing at USA Fencing's Junior Olympics in Charlotte, N.C.

After winning four of her five pool bouts in the Division I Women's Epee, Pirkowski notched four wins in the tableau en route to placing eighth overall. The Longwood, Fla. native scored a 15-12 win over Chelsea Chi in the Round of 16 to cement her spot on the podium. This past weekend's effort marked Pirkowski's third straight podium finish and fourth top-10 showing of 2024-25.

Shearer continued her impressive first-year campaign with an eighth-place finish of her own in the Junior Women's Sabre. Out of Lake Forest, Calif., Shearer piled up five victories in pool action ahead of entering the tableau. She went on to rattle off five straight victories, advancing on to the quarterfinals following a 15-11 upset of No. 15 seed Dagny Johnson to collect her third podium finish of the season.

Competing in the Division I Women's Sabre, Nisha Hild came close to battling her way onto the podium, picking up five pool wins ahead of three head-to-head victories in the tableau. Hild also took 13^th in the junior section of the weapon.

Rowan Park led the way for the Wildcat foilists, placing 24^th in the Division I section. Park came away with a pair of wins in the tableau after tallying five victories in pool action.

A full listing of Northwestern's results from the Junior Olympics follows.

Division I Women's Epee
8^th – Amanda Pirkowski
27^th – Ava Wade-Currie
44^th – Anna Damratoski
77^th – Christina Liu
95^th – Karen Wang

Junior Women's Epee
41^st – Christina Liu
66^th – Ava Wade-Currie

Division I Women's Foil
24^th – Rowan Park
86^th – Samantha Serban

Division I Women's Sabre
12^th – Nisha Hild
36^th – Adele Bois
41^st – Megumi Oishi
43^rd – Natalie Shearer
158^th – Kira Erikson

Junior Women's Sabre
8^th – Natalie Shearer
13^th – Nisha Hild
34^th – Adele Bois
66^th – Kira Erikson

UP NEXT
Northwestern will set out to defend its Central Collegiate Fencing Conference (CCFC) title at the CCFC Championships, February 22-23, inside Wayne State Fieldhouse in Detroit, Mich. Saturday will feature the team competition, with individual action set for Sunday.

Sitting at No. 3 in the United States Fencing Coaches Association (USFCA) Midseason Coaches' Poll , Northwestern will face off against event host Wayne State, Cleveland State, Denison, Detroit Mercy, Lawrence, and Ohio State.

Pirkowksi, Shearer Land On Podium At Junior Olympics

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Adele Bois

Anna Damratoski

Kira Erikson

Nisha Hild

Christina Liu

Megumi Oishi

Rowan Park

Amanda Pirkowski

Samantha Serban

Natalie Shearer

Ava Wade-Currie

Karen Wang

Northwestern University Athletics