Saturday, March 23
Cleveland, Ohio
All Day
Northwestern
vs
NCAA Championships
5 Wildcats Heading to NCAA Championships
3/12/2019 3:54:00 PM | Women's Fencing
EVANSTON, Ill. – As announced by the NCAA on Tuesday, Yvonne Chart, Alyssa Chen, Julia Falinska, Pauline Hamilton, and Emine Yücel will represent Northwestern at the NCAA Championships hosted by Cleveland State on Mar. 23-24.
Falinska and Hamilton will fence in epée, Chart and Chen will fence in foil, and Yücel will fence in saber.
This marks the third straight NCAA Championships appearance for Hamilton, and second consecutive appearances for Chart and Yücel. Both Chart and Hamilton earned All-American honors with top-12 finishes last season, while Yücel placed 18th.
Fencers will first compete in a round-robin format of five-touch bouts. After round robin play, top-four finishers in each weapon will advance to semifinal 15-touch bouts, with winners fencing to determine first and second places, and non-advancing fencers being awarded a tie for third place.
An institution's place finish in championships will be based on points earned by each individual. A team will be awarded one point for each victory by its student-athletes for duration of championships. Northwestern finished eighth overall last season, and the Wildcats' highest-ever finish is sixth, accomplished in 2002 and 2004.
A live feed of semifinal and final bouts will be available on the WatchESPN app. Semifinals and finals, along with other championships highlights, will air on ESPNU at 1:30 p.m. CT on April 3rd.
NORTHWESTERN NCAA QUALIFIERS
Yvonne Chart
Chart earned First Team All-MFC honors following a remarkable regular season. The Truro, UK native took home a bronze medal by finishing tied for third at the Midwest Fencing Conference Championships, securing her spot at NCAA Midwest Regionals, where she finished seventh. Chart picked up 23 duals wins this season to improve her career total to 167, the most among NU foilists and second-most on the team. This is Chart's second straight NCAA Championships appearance.
Alyssa Chen
Chen placed sixth at the MFC Championships to earn All-MFC Second Team honors and later secure a berth at NCAA Midwest Regionals, where she also placed sixth. The San Diego native picked up 30 duals wins this season, the second-most among first-years. Chen is one of ten Wildcats since 2010 to qualify for the NCAA Championships as a first-year.
Julia Falinska
Falinska earned All-MFC Second Team honors following a sixth place finish at the MFC Championships. She kept busy as a first-year, ranking second among first-year epéeists with 27 duals wins, and competing internationally at Junior World Cup events in Luxembourg and Spain. Falinska joins teammate Alyssa Chen as one of ten Wildcats since 2010 to qualify for the NCAA Championships as a first-year.
Pauline Hamilton
Hamilton earned First Team All-MFC recognition after taking home the silver medal at the MFC Championships. The Colorado Springs native finished fifth at NCAA Regionals, the highest among NU epéeists. Her 38 duals wins this season are the most on the team, and her 142 career wins are the most on the epée squad. This is Hamilton's third straight NCAA Championships appearance.
Emine Yücel
Yücel earned All-MFC Second Team honors following a sixth place finish at MFC Championships. She went on to place fourth at NCAA Midwest Regionals, the highest of any Wildcat in the three competing weapon groups. She earned 37 duals wins this season, the second-most on the team, and her 162 career wins are the third-most on the team. This is Yücel's second straight NCAA Championships appearance.
To stay updated on Chicago's Big Ten Team, follow @NUWFencing on Twitter and Instagram and Northwestern Fencing on Facebook, as well as the hashtag #B1GCats.
Falinska and Hamilton will fence in epée, Chart and Chen will fence in foil, and Yücel will fence in saber.
This marks the third straight NCAA Championships appearance for Hamilton, and second consecutive appearances for Chart and Yücel. Both Chart and Hamilton earned All-American honors with top-12 finishes last season, while Yücel placed 18th.
Fencers will first compete in a round-robin format of five-touch bouts. After round robin play, top-four finishers in each weapon will advance to semifinal 15-touch bouts, with winners fencing to determine first and second places, and non-advancing fencers being awarded a tie for third place.
An institution's place finish in championships will be based on points earned by each individual. A team will be awarded one point for each victory by its student-athletes for duration of championships. Northwestern finished eighth overall last season, and the Wildcats' highest-ever finish is sixth, accomplished in 2002 and 2004.
A live feed of semifinal and final bouts will be available on the WatchESPN app. Semifinals and finals, along with other championships highlights, will air on ESPNU at 1:30 p.m. CT on April 3rd.
NORTHWESTERN NCAA QUALIFIERS
Yvonne Chart
Chart earned First Team All-MFC honors following a remarkable regular season. The Truro, UK native took home a bronze medal by finishing tied for third at the Midwest Fencing Conference Championships, securing her spot at NCAA Midwest Regionals, where she finished seventh. Chart picked up 23 duals wins this season to improve her career total to 167, the most among NU foilists and second-most on the team. This is Chart's second straight NCAA Championships appearance.
Alyssa Chen
Chen placed sixth at the MFC Championships to earn All-MFC Second Team honors and later secure a berth at NCAA Midwest Regionals, where she also placed sixth. The San Diego native picked up 30 duals wins this season, the second-most among first-years. Chen is one of ten Wildcats since 2010 to qualify for the NCAA Championships as a first-year.
Julia Falinska
Falinska earned All-MFC Second Team honors following a sixth place finish at the MFC Championships. She kept busy as a first-year, ranking second among first-year epéeists with 27 duals wins, and competing internationally at Junior World Cup events in Luxembourg and Spain. Falinska joins teammate Alyssa Chen as one of ten Wildcats since 2010 to qualify for the NCAA Championships as a first-year.
Pauline Hamilton
Hamilton earned First Team All-MFC recognition after taking home the silver medal at the MFC Championships. The Colorado Springs native finished fifth at NCAA Regionals, the highest among NU epéeists. Her 38 duals wins this season are the most on the team, and her 142 career wins are the most on the epée squad. This is Hamilton's third straight NCAA Championships appearance.
Emine Yücel
Yücel earned All-MFC Second Team honors following a sixth place finish at MFC Championships. She went on to place fourth at NCAA Midwest Regionals, the highest of any Wildcat in the three competing weapon groups. She earned 37 duals wins this season, the second-most on the team, and her 162 career wins are the third-most on the team. This is Yücel's second straight NCAA Championships appearance.
To stay updated on Chicago's Big Ten Team, follow @NUWFencing on Twitter and Instagram and Northwestern Fencing on Facebook, as well as the hashtag #B1GCats.
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Players Mentioned
Foil
/ Women's Fencing
Foil
/ Women's Fencing
Epee
/ Women's Fencing
Epée
/ Women's Fencing
Sabre
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