The ‘Cats had a strong performance last weekend in Charlotte.
No. 3 Northwestern headed down south last weekend to compete in USA Fencing’s Junior Olympics in Charlotte, North Carolina. Led by podium finishes from Amanda Pirkowski and Natalie Shearer, the ‘Cats finished the weekend strong.
Pirkowski won four of her five pool bouts in the Division I Women’s Epee, which she followed up with four wins in the tableau. Her 15-12 victory over Chelsea Chi in the round of 16 propelled her to place eighth overall. This marked Pirkowski’s third straight podium finish and fourth overall top-10 performance of the season.
Shearer notched five pool bout victories in the Junior Women’s Sabre before winning five more bouts in the tableau. The freshman upset No. 15 seed Dagny Johnson by a score of 15-11 to advance past the round of 16 on her way to an eighth place finish. The Junior Olympics marked Shearer’s third podium finish of the season.
The ‘Cats had several strong showings in addition to Pirkowski and Shearer. Nisha Hild placed 12th in the Division I Women’s Sabre and 13th in the Junior Women’s Sabre, while Rowan Park placed 24th in the Division I Women’s Foil. Ava Wade-Currie also performed well, placing 27th in the Division I Women’s Epee.
Northwestern returns to action this Saturday for the Central Collegiate Fencing Championships in Detroit. The ‘Cats will look to defend their title after winning this event last year.