Northwestern
NCAA Championships
Three NU Fencers Become All-Americans at NCAA Championships
3/22/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Fencing
March 22, 2002
MADISON, N.J. - Junior ep?eist Kate Rudkin (Boulder, Colo./Boulder) can now add a very impressive statistic to her resume: three-time fencing All-American.
Rudkin finished third at the NCAA Fencing Championships Friday at Drew University, her highest finish at the national level and the highest finish ever for a Northwestern fencer. The top-five placers in each weapon are automatically deemed All-Americans.
To earn her spot on the medalists podium, Rudkin defeated Emese Tak?cs of St. John's in the third-place bout. Rudkin pulled out 17 victories during the championships.
Two of NU's highly-touted freshmen, foilist Julia F?ldi (Budapest, Hungary/Szent Istv?n Gimn?zium) and saberist Lauren Dunn (Sacramento, Calif./Del Camp) each finished eighth in their respective weapons and were named second-team All-Americans. Dunn posted 15 victories while F?ldi had 14 in the competition. F?ldi's finish was the highest ever for a NU foilist at the national championships.
NU's final qualifier, Kristen Dorf (St. Paul, Minn./St. Paul Academy) bounced back from a slow start on Thursday to finish 15th in the foil competition. Dorf, a senior, is the only current Wildcat to qualify for the NCAA Championships each of her four years.
The four fencers combined for a total of 56 victories and finished in sixth place among women's teams. The NCAA team championship is a combined event, however, and NU dropped to 12th place in overall standings without the benefit of a men's team.
