Dec. 3, 2007

EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern got top finishes from Lisa Sachs (Greenwich, Conn./Greenwich) in the foil and Whitney White (Wyckoff, N.J./Ramapo) in the sabre to lead all Wildcat fencers at the Illinois Junior Olympic qualifier held Sunday at Patten Gymnasium.

Sachs won all eight of her matches on the day to earn the gold and qualify for nationals. Curie Chang (Gainesville, Fla./Buchholz) and Irisa Chen (Warren, N.J./Watchung Hills Regional) both advanced to the quarterfinal round.

In the sabre, White and Allie Keller (Concord, Mass./Concord-Carlisle Regional) both qualified for nationals as well. White won all seven of her matches to take home the gold, while Keller advanced to the semifinal round and finished third.

The Wildcats already had five individuals who had qualified in the epee and thus did not have any competitors in the event Sunday.

Northwestern currently has nine individuals who have already qualified for the USFA National meet.

The Wildcats will participate in the USFA North American Cup next Saturday through Monday in Richmond, Va.