Fencing

Coach Laurie Schiller walked out of Henry Crown Sports Pavilion this weekend pleased with his team’s performance, he said.

The Wildcats claimed one gold and three silver finishes at the United States Fencing Association Remenyik Open in Evanston.

“We had almost 600 entries,” Schiller said, “so it was a good tournament. It showed some good progress with what we’ve been doing for the past few weeks.”

Northwestern kicked off the opening morning with its win. Cindy Oh took first place in the Junior Women’s Sabre event. Freshman Emine Yucel also competed and took fifth place.

The Cats continued Saturday with an impressive showing in Division I Women’s Foil. Sophomore Stephanie Chan brought home second place, with junior Mikela Goldstein, freshman Kaila Budofsky, sophomore Stella Pointeau and junior Charlotte Sands joining her in the top 10. Ten more NU fencers competed in the field, with junior Jen Yamin finishing 12th, sophomore Kayla Kelch 13th and senior Mary Spohn 15th.

“Kaila Budofsky had some injury issues and she was able to fence,” Schiller said. “She did a real good job this weekend. She got knocked out by the winner, so it didn’t look as good as she truly did. So that was exciting to see. Stella Pointeau had a very nice finish, too.”

NU was less successful in the final event the team participated in Saturday, the Junior Women’s Epee. Freshman Katie Van Riper landed seventh, and her classmate Anna Tolley placed 23rd.

The action continued Sunday with the Division I Sabre and the Division I Epee events. Oh and Yucel continued rolling, with another strong showing for each in sabre. This time, Oh notched silver and Yucel bronze. Sophomores Julia Abelsky and Ania Parzecki also competed, finishing seventh and 10th respectively.

“I was pleased with Emine Yucel,” Schiller said. “She fenced against someone who’d beaten her at the Burton and she beat her and then made it to the top four, finishing third.”

The Cats also found success in epee. Sophomore Mandeep Bhinder scored second, junior Helen Foster fifth and Van Riper 11th. Schiller said he was particularly impressed with Foster, who had an off year last season and came back.

NU is still in what it considers its preseason. Schiller is using these tournaments to observe and learn about his fencers while preparing them for the upcoming winter schedule.

“I don’t think I’ve clarified our lineup yet,” he said. “I’m kind of not really one to make that decision just yet. It’s still, it’s still a bit early.” 

The Cats’ first dual meet is this upcoming weekend at home.

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