The ‘Cats proved worth of their top five distinction on Sunday.
Northwestern went 3-2 against a loaded field at the Elite Invitational in Philadelphia this Sunday, adding two more ranked wins to a resume that already includes a win over No. 10 Ohio State and a one point loss to No. 1 Harvard.
The fifth ranked ‘Cats opened their day with an 8:30am bout against No. 7 Penn. The Quakers have proven to have a little kryptonite to them as Northwestern dropped both matches against Penn a year ago. Penn also finished one spot ahead of Northwestern at the NCAA National Championship meet last March.
Northwestern did not get its revenge. Penn took down the ‘Cats with ease, winning the sabre 5-4, and the foil and epee 6-3 on the way to a smooth 17-10 win.
Zach Moss’s squad was able to bounce back in a real way in Northwestern’s second match of the day vs. No. 11 Temple. The ‘Cats dominated from start to finish, riding an absurd 9-0 performance in the epee to a smooth 20-7 victory.
Karen Wang’s epeeists showed up yet again against No. 8 Cornell. Wang, who went a ridiculous 12-0 at the Western Invitation two weeks ago, led Northwestern epee to an 8-1 dismantling of Cornell. NU split the foil and the sabre an even 9-9 to finish with a 17-10 victory. Big Red would also go on to beat Penn 15-12 later in the meet behind a 5-4 win from its epeeists. The upper echelon of women’s fencing cannibalizes itself more than SEC football.
Northwestern next faced its lone unranked opponent in North Carolina and had no trouble dispatching the lowly Tarheels. This time, it was Northwestern’s sabre and foil units getting the job done. Wildcat sabre and foil both beat UNC 7-2 as the epeeists nursed a Cornell-Temple hangover on the way to a 5-4 defeat. 18-9 Wildcats.
Northwestern’s fifth and final match of the day came against No. 4 Princeton. NU played the Tigers close in all three disciplines, but ultimately fell 5-4 in each of them. A 15-12 final is more than respectable against a Princeton side that finished fourth at NCAA championships last season.
Northwestern will now get some time off before the January North American Championships in Kansas City. The fencer to watch will undoubtedly be Megumi Oishi. The Northwestern junior placed 10th in Division I sabre as a sophomore, and Oishi will be out for blood after the long December break.