National Collegiate Athletic Association

NCAA News Archive - 2010

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Jan 29, 2010 8:58:10 AM

Northwestern fencing coach Laurie Schiller earned his 1,000th career victory in the opening bout of the New York U. duals January 23. The Wildcats posted a 4-2 mark for the day, leaving Schiller with a career record of 1,003-414.

In his 32nd season leading Northwestern's program, Schiller is only the second fencing coach to reach 1,000 wins (North Carolina's Ron Miller is the other).

Northwestern trailed fourth-ranked Columbia, 12-8, but the Wildcats came back to tie the bout at 13. Freshman foilist Dayana Sarkisova won the final match to secure the win.

"It was an extraordinarily exciting comeback and it just seemed fitting," Schiller said. "It was an unbelievable victory and started out what turned out to be a good day for the team. We beat two ranked teams and everyone performed well. So all in all, it was a good day for us."

After beating Columbia, the Wildcats finished the day with victories over Yale, New York U. and Wayne State and losses to Notre Dame and Ohio State. The team is 14-2 on the season and will host its first home dual meet January 30-31. Miller's North Carolina squad will be one of 12 opponents Schiller's Wildcats will face.