After securing five victories at the DeCicco Duals in its most recent showing, No. 10 Northwestern hosted its inaugural Schiller Duals at Ryan Fieldhouse this weekend, finishing with eight wins in 10 matchups.
Previously known as the Northwestern Duals, the event was renamed to honor former Wildcats (26-7) fencing coach Laurie Schiller.
In Schiller’s 38 years at the helm, NU amassed over 1,250 wins between the men’s and women’s teams, before men’s fencing transitioned into a club program in 1994. A two-time U.S. Fencing Coaches Association Collegiate Coach of the Year, Schiller retired in 2016 as NU’s all-time winningest head coach across all sports and the NCAA’s second-winningest fencing coach ever. He was inducted into the NU’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2022.
Schiller was honored in a ceremony after NU’s Saturday showdown with No. 2 Notre Dame Saturday.
During a weekend when coach Zach Moss’s squad was short-handed due to illness, he said one of his biggest takeaways from the competition was the strength of his deep rotation.
“The fact that we’ve been as successful as we have been with a smaller group is really impressive, but also shows how impactful having that full team here is,” Moss said.
Moss noted that his saberists were hit hardest by the illness, with half of them sidelined for the competition.
In their first home competition since October, the ’Cats kicked off the weekend with a hard-fought 15-12 victory over No. 12 Temple before taking down No. 3 Cornell, 19-8.
“This is the best facility in the country,” Moss said of his team’s opportunity to compete in Evanston. “It’s super critical for them to be at home, to have fans and support from family, friends and the athletic department.”
NU’s only two losses of the weekend came in a close 16-11 match with UC San Diego, followed by a rematch with No. 2 Notre Dame.
When NU faced the Fighting Irish last weekend on their turf, they narrowly lost 15-12, with the épée squad securing a 6-3 victory. But on Saturday, the ’Cats struggled, falling 20-7 in a decisive loss, as they were swept in all three weapons.
Moss said that the team’s two late-season encounters with Notre Dame will be valuable learning experiences, especially with the Fighting Irish being one of their biggest regional rivals for next month’s championships.
The hosts finished strong, claiming victories in their final six matchups, including another ranked win over No. 21 Stanford.
NU’s épéeists delivered strong throughout the weekend, suffering their only loss against Notre Dame while posting wins in all nine other duals.
Three NU foilists ended the weekend with undefeated records: freshman Brianna Ho and senior Yejine Lee both went 6-0, while senior Ophelia Tong won all nine of her bouts.
With the regular season now behind them, the ’Cats will turn their attention towards the Central Collegiate Conference Championships, set for Feb. 22 and 23 in Detroit.
Although Moss expects his team to be the top seed at the meet, he acknowledged the challenge ahead.
“It’s not an easy road,” he said.
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