No championship parades are coming in Evanston, but the ‘Cats still received some major recognition
The NCAA Championships wrapped up this weekend, with six Northwestern fencers, the maximum amount, competing.
Northwestern also had two fencers, first-year Natalie Shearer and first-year Daphne Chan Nok Sze recognized as Honorable Mention All-Americans. Graduate student Amanda Pirkowski finished as a Second Team All-American after her seventh-place performance.
Each of the weapon categories for the women’s tournament featured two Northwestern fencers and 24 fencers overall. The first stage was round robin, with each fencer competing against each of the other 23. The sole exception was the sabre, where one fencer was unable to finish the conclusion of her bouts, meaning that any results against her were not counted. After the round-robin stage was complete, fencers launched into the semifinals, with the top four fencers competing in a single-elimination bracket to crown a champion.
Full Results from University Park
In the sabre, Shearer went par for the course, with 11 victories and 11 defeats across her 22 bouts. Her plus-8 indicator landed her in the second out of the three .500 fencers, and landed her in 11th. Despite an overall average performance with respect to her competition, Shearer still notched some notable wins, including two dominant 5-1 victories against fifth-place Tamar Gordon and sixth-place Kaitlyn Pak.
Alex Chen was the other sabre for Northwestern, ending with a 20th-place finish. She finished 7-15 with her best victory coming against eighth-place Chloe Gouhin.
Looking to the foil yielded similar results for the ‘Cats, with Chan Nok Sze in 10th and fellow first-year Yukari Takamizawa finishing in 20th. Chan Nok Sze went 13-10 overall while Takamizawa went 6-17.
Both foilists put together their first seasons in the Northwestern purple while also competing internationally throughout the season. Despite hectic first seasons, these finishes at the NCAA Championships put an exclamation point on strong first-year campaigns.
Finally, in the épée, the ‘Cats had their best results, with Pirkowski in seventh and junior Karen Wang in 16th. While no one stood a chance in the face of Notre Dame’s Eszter Muhari, who went 23-0 to eventually take the crown, there were still some notable victories. Pirkowski took down runner-up Tierna Oxenreider 5-3, and Wang defeated Notre Dame’s Kaylin Sin Yan Hsieh, who finished in fifth. This was a major improvement from the 5-1 loss that Hsieh handed Wang in the Midwest Regional just a few short weeks ago.
With the NCAA portion of the season now over, what can coach Zach Moss and company take into next season?
Notable departures
‘Cats fans will be without Pirkowski, but will also be missing seven other seniors. This includes foilists Rowan Park, Ophelia Tong, and Yejine Lee, épéeists Hanna Lipthay, Athina Kwon and Asha Henry as well as Kailing Sathyanath, the lone senior sabre on the roster.
Pirkowski had an all-time one-season run in Evanston, and with Wang becoming a senior next season, Moss will likely look to her to be a leader among the épéeists. This is especially important when you consider that this weapon category includes an older group that had just one first-year on the roster this season. There will likely be an influx of first-year épéeists next season, so look for Wang to lead the way.
The other six fencers have all had their notable moments as well. Even late into her senior season, fans saw Lee tying for third in the CCFC Championships. Fencers like Park and Lipthay were a big reason that Northwestern saw so much success over the past few seasons, with notable results in last season’s 10-0 Northwestern Duals.
Needless to say, these athletes will be missed and are leaving behind roster spots that Moss will look to fill. In the absence of these ‘Cats stalwarts, who may be stepping up?
What fans can look forward to
Northwestern is, by large, a very young team at the highest level. Of the six fencers who qualified for the NCAA Championships, four of them were first-years. This is also without mentioning first-year Nisha Hild, who has an incredibly high ceiling while being one of Moss’s most consistent fencers all season.
When it came time for a win, Moss relied on first-years who, barring transfer, will be around for the long run. This class has the chance to start forming a serious dynasty in Evanston, allowing Northwestern to continue to be one of the best in the nation over the next few years.
The other good news for Northwestern is the graduation of some notable competitors. Notre Dame won their fourth national championship in five years and has been NU’s most formidable foe for years. While Olympian and Saber champion Magda Skarbonkiewicz is just a first-year, the undefeated Muhari has just one more season and Hsieh will be graduating. Gone as well is Rebeca Candescu, another NCAA qualifier for the Fighting Irish.
While the likes of Shearer, Chen, and Hild are sure to have their hands full with Skarbonkiewicz and second-place NCAA finisher Siobhan Sullivan for the next three years, other Northwestern fencers may not have quite as tough of sledding in the future.
Ultimately, only next season will tell where exactly the ‘Cats can go. Back in 2021, they were third in the nation at the season’s ultimate event. This season was the first time since that fateful 2021 season that Northwestern had six fencers qualify for the NCAA Championships.
Things seem to be looking up in Evanston. Despite the documentary’s focus on Laurie Schiller, it’s fitting that it was called “The Foundation” given Northwestern’s eventual results this year. Bricks were laid, and with time, perhaps fans will come to see the next great Northwestern squad.