EVANSTON, Ill. -- The No. 7-ranked Cornell fencing team rebounded after an opening 16-11 loss to Northwestern to the tune of four consecutive wins, including an upset of the No. 2-ranked Notre Dame to sit 5-1 after day one of the Northwestern Duals on Saturday from the Ryan Fieldhouse.
Cornell's 16-11 victory over the Fighting Irish makes it the second consecutive season that the team has taken down a team ranked inside the top five of the United States Fencing Coaches Associate Mid-Season Poll in Evanston, as it took down a then-No. 1 Irish squad to secure the program's first-ever victory over a top-ranked opponent in its previous trip to Northwestern in 2023. Other notable bouts victories on Saturday for the Big Red included a 21-6 decision over Denison, and a 14-13 victory over UC San Diego.
The Big Red earned a combined 101-64 record over the 19 athletes who competed on the day. The sabre squad led the way as the best-performing unit of the day, earning an outstanding 41-13 combined record over the seven fencers that picked up the weapon. It was an upperclassmen show at the top of the records, as juniors Sarah Lacson (9-0) and Emma Brown (7-0) each went undefeated in their bouts, while senior Sterre Hoogendoorn (8-2) and weapon captain Stella Berman (7-2) followed closely behind.
Cornell's foil squad saw six competitors combining for a 30-24 record, making it the third time in the last four duals that the unit has recorded 30 or more victories on the strip. Each athlete earned three wins or more, led by senior Asherah Horsley (6-5) and sophomore Mia Jo (5-4). Epee rounded out the three weapons record-wise, putting forward a 30-27 overall record. Sophomore Nora Weber had a great day, as the Colorado native led the group with an 8-5 record. Other notables over the eight who competed with the weapon included junior weapon captain Emma Ni (8-6) and 4-3 showings from Mallika Ketkar and Natalie Leung.
With its 5-1 record on Saturday, the Big Red is now an impressive 19-5 over its last four trips to the Ryan Fieldhouse for day one of the duals hosted by the Wildcats. It is also the most wins Cornell has had in one day in Evanston since blazing through the competition with an 8-0 showing to open day one of competition on Feb. 5, 2022.
The job is not finished for the Big Red on the weekend, as it will hit the strip for six more duals on Sunday, Feb. 4. beginning at 8 a.m. central time against Lawrence University. Three more ranked opponents also stand in the way in No. 14 Stanford (9:10 a.m. CT), No. 13 Ohio State (11:30 a.m. CT), and No. 9 Temple (2:20 p.m. CT). All six matches will be live on the Northwestern Athletics YouTube channel, with live results available here.
TEAM RESULTS
#8 NORTHWESTERN 16, #7 CORNELL 11
Foil: 4-5
Epee: 3-6
Sabre: 4-5
#7 CORNELL 21, DENISON 6
Foil: 5-4
Epee: 7-2
Sabre: 9-0
#7 CORNELL 14, UC SAN DIEGO 13
Foil: 5-4
Epee: 3-6
Sabre: 6-3
#7 CORNELL 16, #2 NOTRE DAME 11
Foil: 5-4
Epee: 7-2
Sabre: 4-5
#7 CORNELL 18, AIR FORCE 9
Foil: 4-5
Epee: 5-4
Sabre: 9-0
#7 CORNELL 18, UIW 9
Foil: 7-2
Epee: 2-7
Sabre: 9-0
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
Sabre: 41-13
Stella Berman: 7-2
Emma Brown: 9-0
Isabela Carvalho: 3-3
Erika Chin: 0-4
Sterre Hoogendoorn: 8-2
Sarah Lacson: 9-0
Keona Moya: 1-2
Foil: 30-24
Renata Chusid: 4-6
Asherah Horsley: 6-3
Mia Jo: 5-4
Brianna Lee: 4-5
Molly Veerkamp: 3-3
Rei Weintraub: 4-4
Epee: 30-27
Isabela Carvalho: 0-1
Ketki Ketkar: 2-3
Mallika Ketkar: 4-3
Natalie Leung: 4-3
Clarice Lim: 1-4
Emma Ni: 8-6
Nora Weber: 8-5
Molly Veerkamp: 0-1
