Looking to build on its three-match win streak, No. 5 Northwestern traveled to South Bend, Indiana, Saturday to compete in the DeCicco Duals, hosted by No. 2 Notre Dame.
The Wildcats (18-5) delivered a strong performance, winning five of their six head-to-head matchups and finishing with a 15-3 record across all three weapons.
In fencing, dual meets are divided into three disciplines: foil, epee and saber. Each weapon has its own distinct set of scoring regulations and strategies. In both foil and epee competitions, points are recorded only with the tip of the blade, while saberists are allowed to score with the edge of the sword as well. The target area also varies: in epee, the entire body is fair game, while foil restricts touches to the torso and saber focuses on the upper body.
Typically, fencers focus on one specific discipline. In dual meets, each fencer competes against every member of the opposing team in a series of head-to-head bouts, each lasting three minutes or until a team reaches a multiple of five touches. After nine bouts, if no team has reached 45 touches, the team with the higher score is declared the winner. This process is repeated for each of the three blades.
The ’Cats got off to a strong start Saturday as they blew past Lawrence 27-0, sweeping every bout in its first dual of the meet. Coach Zach Moss’s squad kept the momentum rolling through their next two matchups, cruising to 22-5 and 24-3 wins over Wayne State and Cleveland State, respectively.
NU’s closest call during the front half of Saturday’s competition was the epee against Wayne State, which they won by just one point, 5-4.
The real test came against No. 2 Notre Dame, where the ’Cats gave the Fighting Irish all they could handle. Despite a valiant effort, including a perfect 3-0 showing from junior epeeist Anna Damratoski, NU fell 15-12 in a tight match. Damratoski’s performance was a bright spot, as she helped her squad edge out the Fighting Irish 6-3 in epee as NU dropped both the foil and saber competitions.
But the ’Cats weren’t about to let that loss derail their day.
NU bounced back to beat Denison 18-9 and Detroit Mercy 25-2, closing the tournament with two more decisive wins.
Senior foilist Ophelia Tong led the charge for the ’Cats, finishing the day with a team-high of eight wins. Six other Wildcats finished undefeated, including junior Brianna Ho (6-0), junior Allison Lee (6-0), senior Yejine Lee (4-0) in foil, Damratoski (6-0) in epee and saberists sophomore Adele Bois (6-0) and freshman Kira Erikson (4-0).
With the DeCicco Duals in the rearview mirror, the ’Cats will return to Ryan Fieldhouse next weekend for their final dual competition of the season. The Schiller Duals will feature four ranked teams, including a Saturday rematch with No. 2 Notre Dame in NU’s first home meet since the fall and its final hosting opportunity this season.
Email: audreypachuta2027@u.northwestern.edu
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