Northwestern's fencing team rode the momentum of an early victory over the University of Pennsylvania 14-13 and swept the Temple Invitational in Philadelphia 6-0 Sunday.
Penn, along with the Wildcats, is among the top teams in the nation this season, according to coach Laurie Schiller. Just a season ago, the Quakers topped the Cats in a close bout, and Northwestern finished 5-1 in the 27th Annual Temple Invitational. This year, however, was a different story for Schiller and his squad.
"I'm very happy about going 6-0," said coach Schiller. "I was worried about Penn and Temple, especially since we had to travel and Penn was our first match. It was close and hard fought, but we finally won 14-13. It's even better because we lost to them last year."
Northwestern defeated Temple, regarded as the second strongest team in the tournament, 18-9. The Cats then defeated Sacred Heart 15-12, Drew 21-6, Duke 19-8, and North Carolina 16-11.
Despite the fact that the sabre squad has been depleted due to injuries and players leaving the team, it turned in a performance that impressed coach Schiller.
"The sabre team really stepped up and made a difference against Penn and Temple especially," he said. "Overall it was really a team effort. I only have good things to say."
Northwestern competed in close matches throughout the tournament. Epée and sabre topped Penn 5-4 while foil fell 4-5, and each unit defeated Temple 6-3.
NU relied on key individual performances to pull out the narrow victories. Junior foilist Sam Nemecek posted a 14-0 record. Nemecek, a two-time second-team All-American, is hoping to register more than 100 wins for the third consecutive season.
Epée sophomores Joanna Niklinska and Kayley French went 9-2 and 11-1, respectively. French earned second-team All-Midwest Fencing Conference honors a season ago.
"Everybody has been practicing really hard and stepped it up for this meet," said French, who placed second at the last team event, the Penn State Open. "I was impressed, but at the same time I was expecting us to do well. We're all happy for each other."
2008 Woodie Awards
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