Softball: NU suffers first loss of the season

Off to a great 5-0 start following a Lauren Delaney no-hit performance in a 7-0 defeat of Oregon, Northwestern faced San Diego State in the second game of the twi-night doubleheader. San Diego State scored a run in the bottom of the seventh inning to hand NU its first loss of the season, 3-2.

The Aztecs defeated No. 9 Arizona earlier in the day to push their record to 11-1, while the Wildcats' defeat of Oregon and loss to San Diego State puts their record at 5-1.

San Diego State scored the game's first two runs in the bottom of the first by capitalizing on a leadoff walk, two singles and a balk from pitcher Jessica Smith.

Down 2-0, NU scored both of its runs in the fourth inning on a series of plays, highlighted by Erin and Kelly Dyer. Erin hit a two-out solo home run, her second of the year to bring the Cats within a run. Kelly then singled to left center, moved to second on a single by Robin Thompson and scored on an erratic throw.

After the Aztecs' first batter of the sixth inning doubled, Lauren Delaney came into the game in the sixth inning and worked out of the jam.

In the seventh, however, an Aztec reached base on a one-out walk, and moved to third on a throw that dribbled away from first base. A two out bloop single scored the runner from third.

Tammy Williams recorded two hits for the sixth consecutive game to start the season.

On Saturday the Cats will face a pair of ranked teams, No. 6 LSU and No. 25 Texas, seeking to get back on track.

Softball: Delaney Throws No-No in Opener

On Friday evening No. 2 Northwestern defeated the Oregon Ducks 7-0 behind a stellar performance by sophomore pitcher Lauren Delaney in the Wildcats' first game of the Palm Springs Classic.

Delaney (4-0) went the distance and recorded a career-high 17 strikeouts and did not allow a hit on the day. It was Delaney's second career no-hitter. Her first came April 28 against Illinois in conference play, and it is the 38th no-hitter in NU history.

Last year NU ace Eileen Canney threw a no-hitter in the same tournament against the California Golden Bears.

With the win the Cats moved to 5-0 on the season, and have now defeated every team in the Pac-10 during Coach Kate Drohan's career at NU.

Heading in to the seventh inning Delaney had struck out eight consecutive batters, but a bunt attempt halted the streak. Delaney struck out the following two, capping off the 17 strikeout performance.

Kelly Dyer and Tammy Williams each recorded two hits on the day, while freshman Michelle Batts walked three times.

Oregon moved to 6-7 with the loss.

Softball: Palm Springs Classic Preview

After the most successful opening weekend in school history, No. 2 Northwestern (4-0) returns to action this weekend in Cathedral City, Calif., at the Palm Springs Classic. The tournament features 13 ranked teams among the 23-team field. The Wildcats will take on three ranked opponents in their five-game weekend schedule.

NU will play two games Friday, the first against Oregon and the second against San Diego State.

The Cats will then face two ranked teams on Saturday, night contests against No. 6 LSU and No. 25 Texas.

NU will wrap up the weekend with a Sunday afternoon game against No. 11 UCLA.

The Pac-10 has been widely considered as the powerhouse of collegiate softball, especially with Arizona winning back-to-back National Championships. NU, of course, knocked off Arizona for the first time in school history last weekend with an 8-5 victory.

Despite the conference's prestige, NU has competed well against each of the eight teams it has faced during coach Drohan’s tenure.

The Cats record against Pac-10 opponents in Drohan’s 7-year career:

5-1 vs. Stanford

6-2 vs. California

4-1 vs. Arizona State

4-2 vs. Oregon State

2-2 vs. UCLA

2-3 vs. Washington

0-1 vs. Oregon

NU has compiled a respectable 24-19 record against traditional powerhouses in the country, and it would mean a good bit to pick up a win this weekend against Oregon, whom the Cats have faced only once, and lost to.

After NU’s great opening weekend, the team jumped from sixth to second in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches’ Poll, released on Feb. 19. The only team in front of the Cats is Alabama, who recorded 688 points and 22 of the 28 first place votes. NU tallied 641 points, 47 behind the Crimson Tide, and recorded one first place vote, the first in school history in any poll. Ironically Texas A&M (9-2), who lost to NU 8-7, received four first place votes.

In the ESPN.com/USA Today Poll, NU placed third behind Alabama and Arizona State. The Cats totaled four of the 20 first place votes. Ironically No. 10 Arizona still received one first place vote after starting 0-3.

Women's Fencing: Midwest Fencing Conference Championships

Most men’s college basketball fans think there are a few power conferences. The ACC, for example, features two teams (Duke and UNC) ranked in the top 5 in the nation. The Big East has four teams in the AP Top 25.

Northwestern has struggled in the top heavy Big Ten, where three teams are in the Top 25.

But think about how powerful the Midwest Fencing Conference is, the conference the Wildcats compete in. Three of the nation’s top four teams hail from the elite conference.

And while college basketball rankings are nationally distributed through newspapers and on Web sites because of the sport’s wide ranging national coverage, fencing rankings get distributed via e-mail to head coaches of each team.

On Wednesday the newest fencing rankings were released. Here’s how the coaches voted:

2^nd USFCA COLLEGE FENCING COACHES' POLL

Women (previous ranking in parenthesis)

1. Ohio State (2)

2. Notre Dame (1)

3. Columbia-Barnard (3)

4. Northwestern (6)

5. Pennsylvania (7)

6. Harvard (5)

7. St. John's (8)

8. Temple (9)

9. Penn State (4)

10. Princeton (10)

Others receiving votes: North Carolina, Stanford, Brown, Yale, Cornell, Wayne State (MI), NYU, Brandeis, UC-San Diego, Duke, Air Force, MIT

It’s noteworthy that Wayne State( MI), who also received votes in the poll, is a member of the Midwest Fencing Conference. Essentially the conference has four teams in the top 20.

Another interesting comparison that can be drawn between the two sports and their ranking systems is how often the polls are released. Every Monday college basketball fans await the release of the new rankings to see who’s jumped and who’s dropped in the rankings.

Fencing polls are released once monthly in January, February and March. The third and final 2008 poll will be released on March 3 after conference championships and NCAA Regionals.

Speaking of NCAA Regionals and the power in he Midwest Conference… NU gets the short end of the stick in terms of representation at Nationals. Each team’s four best fencers in each weapon get to compete at NCAA Regionals, and from there, the two best get to travel to NCAA Championships. Every conference and every geographical location gets equal representation, no matter where the talent pool lies.

With so much talent on NU’s epee squad, for example, where the team’s starting four are so close in talent level, it almost seems unfair to exclude two of those members at NCAAs. Even the less talented Cats who don’t compete at the Division I level could go to NCAA Championships if they went to a lesser school in a lesser conference.

In one instance, the conference is so talented so you know who the best fencers are. On the other hand, the nation’s best fencers should get to compete at NCAAs and get rewarded with that opportunity of a lifetime.

All of that, though, won’t be on the Cats’ minds this weekend as they travel to South Bend, Ind., for the Conference Championships.

Last season, NU’s foil team did not give up a point until the finals, and then beat Ohio State 5-4 in the championship round

Foilist Sam Nemecek has had the Cats best individual performance the last two seasons. She hopes to continue that success and finish in the top two again this season.

In epee, Christa French advanced to the semifinals a season ago, while twin sister Kayley advanced to the quarterfinals.

NU’s Sophie Eustis, now graduated, advanced to the quarterfinals in sabre. The Cats have struggled in sabre all year long, and with the departure of Eustis, may continue to struggle this weekend.

Women's Fencing: Weekend Wrap-Up

Despite the fact that Northwestern trained all week to compete against the No. 1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish, the Wildcats did not compete to knock off the nation's top-ranked team. Notre Dame called mid-week to respectfully deny the dual against the No. 6 Cats. NU still traveled to South Bend, Ind. to fence seven other opponents from the Midwest Fencing Conference.

The Notre Dame Duals wrapped up the Cats dual meet season, and NU will prepare for conference championships in two weeks. Until then, some of the Cats will compete in the United States' Fencing Association Junior Olympics in Charlotte, N.C.

So how did the Cats fare this weekend?

Before the weekend, Coach Laurie Schiller said, "To be honest we only had one hard team on the schedule (Notre Dame). The rest of the teams are much weaker."

And Schiller was right. NU went 7-0.

The Cats' first match on Saturday featured a 22-5 of Michigan. NU then topped the Wolverine's in state rival Michigan State 27-0, a much different result than the basketball team mustered verse the Spartans.

The Cats topped Cleveland State (26-1), Wayne State (21-6), Detroit (23-4), Florida (16-11), and Oberlin (27-0) to top off the day, finishing undefeated.

NU's performance this weekend capped off the most successful season in NU history in terms of wins. The Cats finished 37-4 on the season, topping last season's total of 36, the old school record for dual meet victories in a season.

Women's Fencing: Sunday's Duals

The Wildcats were back in action Sunday morning to compete in the second day of the NU Duals. At 8 am the Cats took on Cal State Fullerton in the first of the team's six matches, and won handily, a trend that continued for the remainder of the day.

NU defeated North Carolina, UC San Diego, Stanford, Cal Tech, and Farleigh Dickinson to cap off the undefeated day.

Overall, the Cats finished 10-1 in the NU Duals. The squad's only loss came against No. 2 Ohio State.

Nearly all of NU's top fencers who normally compete at the Division I level did not compete Sunday, leaving room for younger team members to gain experience. And, for the most part, they did not disappoint.

One close call, and near disappointment, happened in the Cats' second match of the morning against North Carolina. The sabre squad lost quickly, 9-0, and victory seemed unlikely considering the Tar Heels needed to win just six of the remaining 18 bouts to take the match. NU responded, however, with strong performances by the epée and foil squads to take the victory.

After the long weekend, coach Laurie Schiller cancelled Monday's practice. The team will resume practice Tuesday in preparation for the Notre Dame Duals next weekend.

Women's Fencing: Saturday's Duals

While many other teams at the NU Duals seemed sluggish early on, Northwestern did not seem phased by the 8 am start time Saturday. To kick off the NU Duals, the Wildcats defeated Johns Hopkins 25-2, with foil and sabre dropping one bout each.

NU followed up its impressive performance against JHU with a defeat of Duke. The epée squad remained undefeated after competing against the Blue Devils.

The Cats then squared off with No. 9 Temple. Despite the sabre squad losing 5-4 early on, the epée and foil squads rallied, winning 7-2 and 6-3 respectively. NU defeated the Owls 17-10.

Just a week after losing to Ohio State 18-9, NU dueled with the Buckeyes. The sabre squad was swept within 15 minutes, losing 9-0. Foil (4-5) and epée (5-4) competed well against the second-ranked squad in the country. The loss matched the same score from the Cats loss last weekend, 19-8. 

The Cats fifth and final match of the day featured No. 4 Penn State. Each of NU's squads squeaked out a close victory: Epée, 6-3, Foil, 6-3, and sabre, 5-4. The Cats knocked off the Nittany Lions 17-10.

On the day, Northwestern finished 4-1, an impressive performance.

On Sunday the Cats have six matches, and coach Laurie Schiller expects to win most, if not all of the duals. Schiller might rotate some of the top fencers out to help younger fencers gain valuable experience.

Women's Fencing: NU Duals This Weekend

Concerns for the NU Duals:

Northwestern will be fencing 11 matches in the two-day NU Duals this weekend. Starting at 8 am on Saturday morning the Wildcats have to fence three of the nation’s top-ranked teams: No. 3 Ohio State, No. 4 Penn State and No. 9 Temple. Competing early in the morning will challenge NU’s ability to get loose and stay loose, while having 11 matches in two days will test durability. Both are concerns for the Cats this weekend after several fencers were sidelined in practice this week. Normally senior Gina Annunziato and junior Sam Nemecek get breaks in the middle of the week to rest their knees and prepare for the weekend. Annunziato is in more pain than usual, however, because her cortisone shot has worn off. At Wednesday’s practice Nicole Tilley, Kayley French and Sarah Henning all left practice early due to injuries. French injured her quadriceps while Henning tweaked her hip flexor.

Nemecek profile continued...:

While Nemecek attributes most of her fencing success to her father’s coaching, she also mentioned the role that sports psychology has played in her development. While she originally didn’t like the idea, she invested time toward the end of her high school years into seeing a sports psychologist. Her national ranking jumped 30 spots. Since then Nemecek has been ranked among the top-10 in foil according to most publications. Nemecek is widely regarded as one of the nation’s top foilists, and she thinks so too, as evidenced by her season’s individual goals: earning first-team All-American honors and finishing in the top four at the NCAA Championships.

Note about the NU Duals:

This weekend marks the first time the Cats have fenced at home since early November, and coincidentally is the last time to see the Cats at SPAC this season. This match is a dubbed as a Chipotle Big Game. The women’s fencing team will compete from 8am-2pm Saturday and Sunday, with the men’s club team competing afterwards.

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.”

Women's Fencing: Jill Mahen profile continued...

Recovering from her shoulder injury has been a difficult process for Jill Mahen, especially because fencing has been a huge part of her life. Mahen’s brother Andy was a four-time national finalist fencer at Duke and brother Jay was on Penn State’s fencing team. Jill Mahen even founded the fencing program at West Morris Mendham High School in Chester, N.J.

While Mahen’s collegiate career has been put on hold, her high school career was filled with success. In 2006 Mahen placed third in the Under-20 Junior Olympic qualifiers. In 2005 she earned all-conference and all-state honors en route to a 26-9 record. Her high school team finished ninth at the state tournament in 2005.

Mahen hopes to get her collegiate career underway shortly. Mahen has been practicing and taking big strides in the rehabilitation process, but her body doesn’t seem to be fully cooperating. That is the reason why the date she returns to the lineup is so questionable at this point.

“Getting back is just awful. I feel like my body doesn’t move. I can’t get it to cooperate. I know what I want it to do, but I can’t get it to do that,” said Mahen.