Northwestern has grown accustomed to success in recent memory. Heading into the season with 12 straight top-10 finishes as a team at the NCAA Championships and 12 NU fencers earning a total of 25 All-American honors during that time, it was no surprise the Wildcats finished their season this weekend extending their streak to 13 years, with two fencers becoming All-Americans.

However, the way they accomplished the feat this year, tying the University of Pennsylvania for eighth place while fencing with two fewer fencers than several of the other teams at the NCAA Championships, made it that much more special to coach Laurie Schiller and his team.

“We ended up in the same place with less people, so really the performance was that much stronger,” Schiller said.

The championships, which were held this past weekend at the French Field House and St. John Arena on the campus of The Ohio State University, featured several of the top NCAA Division I fencers from around the country. Senior Devynn Patterson (foil), juniors Dayana Sarkisova (foil), Kate Cavanaugh (