Though there may be bigger events for Northwestern as a team on the horizon, this weekend’s USFA January North American Cup my have the most on the line for each NU fencer individually.

The Junior NAC offers the Wildcats an opportunity to compete for a spot on the 2012 London Olympic Games squad.

With big meets like the Philadelphia Invitational and the NYU Invitational next weekend, seven NU fencers will compete for an Olympic selection and tune up for those important NCAA duals by fencing this weekend at the January NAC.

The event, which will take place at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Ore., will feature more than 1,000 of the best fencers in the country, including several Olympic and Senior World Championship medalists. This event will also give the Cats a free preview of some of the fencers they will face at the Philadelphia and NYU invitationals.

“This tournament’s going to have tougher competition as a whole,” Coach Laurie Schiller said in comparison to last week’s Western Invitational.

For NU, this weekend’s event will feature several of the team’s starters, with junior Dayana Sarkisova, senior Devynn Patterson and senior Camille Provencal participating in the foil competition; junior Kendrick Mooney in the