It’s been 11 years since Northwestern has been able to add a conference championship banner to Patten Gymnasium. Coach Laurie Schiller said he thinks that will change this weekend.
No. 8 Northwestern will be taking on No. 1 Ohio State and others this weekend at the Midwest Conference Championships.
“I just think that it is a good competition,” Schiller said. “This is our year to (win) it.”
The event, which will occur on Saturday and Sunday at Notre Dame, will feature several of the top fencing teams and fencers in the Midwest Conference competing in individual and team events. In addition to No. 1 Ohio State, No. 4 Notre Dame will also be competing at the tournament.
Schiller said this weekend’s tournament, which also marks the beginning of postseason play for the Wildcats, is an event that NU should win given its level of talent compared to the other teams taking part, despite Ohio State and Notre Dame’s higher rankings.
“I think this is our best chance in the past few years looking at the other teams’ individual squads,” Schiller said.
The last time NU won this event was in 2001. Although the Cats have been extremely successful for several seasons since 2001, they have simply never found a way to overcome Ohio State and Notre Dame teams that regularly finish with NU in the top three at the tournament.
This year, the Cats have had difficulties facing the Buckeyes and the Fighting Irish. After losing to Notre Dame and Ohio State 19-8 and 15-12 respectively at the New York University Invitational a month ago, one week later the Cats would lose to the Fighting Irish again at the Notre Dame Duals, falling 17-10. However this week the Cats have worked hard studying both teams to have the best game plan for the event.
“We have plans in place,” Schiller said. “How they put it into execution will decide how we do.”
Though this weekend’s event does not have any effect on NU’s ability to make the NCAA Championships, the event definitely matters for the team’s pride.
“You can look at it as just bragging rights in a sense. But it definitely has a deeper feeling and meaning for us,” senior foilist Devynn Patterson said. “It’s about us going out there and showing people what we have been working on all year.”
For Patterson and the rest of the seniors, this will be the final chance to compete in this postseason tournament, giving them a greater drive to win it all for the first time in their careers this weekend.
“It’s a little bittersweet,” Patterson said. “It’s definitely exciting to have another opportunity to reach the goals we had four years ago, but also a bit sad that this is the final team competition.”
The only concern for the Cats this weekend is the team will be competing without sabre captain Alicia Gurrieri due to an injury. However, Schiller said he feels some of the other sabre fencers like junior Chloe Grainger and senior Annelise Eeman should be able to make up for Gurrieri’s loss.
“We are good enough to win medals,” Schiller said. “We are good enough to win championships. That is what I have been telling them all quarter.”
