Fencing: Cats finish strong during regular season despite NCAA Championship cancellation
Daily file photo by Evan Robinson-Johnson
A Northwestern fencer lunges. The team was unable to make it to the finals of the Midwest Championships despite having one of their best seasons in recent years.
August 16, 2020
Fencing
Despite the cancellation of the NCAA Championships, the Wildcats had one of their best regular fencing seasons, with a No. 9 national ranking and 29-11 record.
Under coach Zach Moss, Northwestern came in second to No. 4 Ohio State at the Midwest Championships. The loss marked the third time the Cats struggled against the Buckeyes during the season. Previously, NU won the Championships two years in a row.
At NCAA Regionals, Blodwen Bindas led the team to a third-place finish in the epee event while Sarah Filby helped the team finish in sixth place in foil. Alyssa Chen and Anna Biasco also finished strong in the foil event with finishes in eighth and ninth place respectively.
At the Junior Olympics — a tournament reserved for fencers 20 years old or younger — junior Abigail Swallow finished 35th in the sabre event and sophomore Celia Crompton took 93rd in the foil event.
Biasco, Filby and Julia Falinska qualified to compete in the 2020 NCAA Championships in Detroit. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the competition was canceled.
In the fall, the Cats will welcome Sophie Brill, Levi Hoogendoorn, Sky Miller and Julia Yoon to the team in addition to returning 29 fencers from last year, including three All-Americans.
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Related stories:
— Fencing: No. 9 Northwestern falls to No. 4 Ohio State at Midwest Championships
— Fencing: Two fencers compete at Junior Olympics as No. 9 NU prepares for postseason play
