Women's Fencing: Rumblings and Grumblings

Overheard at practice:

- Various teammates were discussing the return of freshman sabreist Jill Mahen after practice last week. While Mahen is still recovering from the shoulder injury she sustained in a freak car accident on Sheridan Road, she has been fencing in practice and making a strong recovery. Mahen did have a bag of ice on her shoulder after practice last Thursday. While it appears that Mahen won’t make her initial goal of fencing in NU Duals this weekend, she will be able to fence in the Notre Dame Duals next weekend Feb. 9 and 10.

- Teammates were also discussing the fact that coach Laurie Schiller has decreased the number of full squad practices. Schiller noted after practice that he hasn’t had an off day since early January, and it’s taking a toll on him, so it must be taking a toll on the squad. Schiller canceled practice on Monday the 28^th to let the team rest after a long weekend in New York at the NYU Duals. The team will, however, continue practicing throughout this week in order to prepare for 11 matches this weekend. The Cats fence top-ranked opponents: No. 3 Ohio State, No. 4 Penn State and No. 9 Temple.

NYU Duals Insider Information:

- In the recent story “NU shows promise in losses to top teams”, the sabre and foil squads were highlighted, as were individual performances by members of both weapons. Sophomore Joanna Niklinska went 14-2 and was the epée squad’s top performer. Last season Niklinska earned honorable mention All-Midwest Conference honors after going 40-17 on the season.

Coach Schiller Quotable:

- Despite the fact that NU lost to Notre Dame 15-12, Coach Schiller was not upset with the loss. Rather, Schiller is confident that the next time the teams meet in two weeks, the Cats will come out on top. For him, there’s not much that can be done during the actual meet, so he will prepare the team for their next contest with the No. 1 Fighting Irish.

“There’s not a whole lot you can do during a match itself as a coach. I mean you can try to do some coaching from the sidelines. It’s like tennis or wrestling, there’s only so much you can do, since it’s such an individual sport. So I’ll do what we can to get (the team) ready.”

- Schiller also feels that his squad's No. 6 ranking proves the Cats can compete with any of the nation’s teams, including Notre Dame.

“I think they know they can compete with the top team in the country. You just have to turn around 2 bouts basically. Everybody realizes we can win these matches; it’s just a matter of doing it. That’s the nature of competition.”