Saturday, March 8
Granville, Ohio
8 a.m. CT
Northwestern
at
NCAA Midwest Regionals
Photo by: Sarah Boeke/Northwestern Athletics
‘Cats Qualify Six For NCAA Fencing Championships
3/11/2025 3:30:00 PM | Women's Fencing
Northwestern put eight on podium at NCAA Midwest Regionals
GRANVILLE, Ohio (March 11, 2025) – For the first time since 2021, six members of the Northwestern University fencing program have earned bids to the NCAA Fencing Championships, it was announced on Tuesday.
Leading the way for Northwestern's group of six qualifiers is the pairing of epeeists Amanda Pirkowski and Karen Wang. Pirkowski, a graduate transfer from Notre Dame, will be making her fourth NCAA appearance, while Wang is set to step onto the national stage for the third time. Daphne Chan Nok Sze (Foil), Yukari Takamizawa (Foil), Alex Chen (sabre), and Natalie Shearer (sabre) will all make their respective debuts at the NCAA Championships.
The Wildcats' six qualifiers for the national meet were part of a group of eight podium finishers for Northwestern at this past Saturday's NCAA Midwest Regional inside Denison University's Mitchell Fieldhouse in Granville, Ohio.
Shearer continued her outstanding first-year campaign with a fourth-place showing in the sabre, the top individual finish by a Wildcat. Shearer racked up eight wins during the final section of pool play en route to her fourth podium finish of 2024-25. She was joined in the top eight by the pairing of Chen (6th) and Nisha Hild (7th). Chen tallied nine individual victories, while Hild capped off an impressive first-year campaign by earning her fifth top-eight finish of the season.
The first-year foilist duo of Takamizawa and Chan Nok Sze placed fifth and seventh, respectively, in the weapon. Both Takamizawa and Chan Nok Sze piled up 10 wins apiece en route to punching their postseason tickets. Juliana Hung rounded out a trio of Wildcats on the podium in the event, placing eighth.
In the epee, Wang led the way for Northwestern, totaling 10 wins across two rounds of pool action to wrap up a third straight trip to the NCAA Championships. Pirkowski checked in one spot back in seventh place, adding 10 victories of her own to advance on.
A full listing of Northwestern's results from the NCAA Midwest Regional follows.
NCAA MIDWEST REGIONAL INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
Women's Epee
6th – Karen Wang
7th – Amanda Pirkowski
9th – Hanna Lipthay
13th – Athina Kwon
Women's Foil
5th – Yukari Takamizawa
7th – Daphne Chan Nok Sze
8th – Juliana Hung
11th – Rowan Park
Women's Sabre
4th – Natalie Shearer
6th – Alex Chen
7th – Nisha Hild
9th – Megumi Oishi
UP NEXT
The 2025 NCAA Fencing Championships will be hosted by Penn State, March 20-23, in University Park, Pa. Action on the women's side is scheduled for March 22-23 inside the Multi-Sport Facility.
Leading the way for Northwestern's group of six qualifiers is the pairing of epeeists Amanda Pirkowski and Karen Wang. Pirkowski, a graduate transfer from Notre Dame, will be making her fourth NCAA appearance, while Wang is set to step onto the national stage for the third time. Daphne Chan Nok Sze (Foil), Yukari Takamizawa (Foil), Alex Chen (sabre), and Natalie Shearer (sabre) will all make their respective debuts at the NCAA Championships.
The Wildcats' six qualifiers for the national meet were part of a group of eight podium finishers for Northwestern at this past Saturday's NCAA Midwest Regional inside Denison University's Mitchell Fieldhouse in Granville, Ohio.
Shearer continued her outstanding first-year campaign with a fourth-place showing in the sabre, the top individual finish by a Wildcat. Shearer racked up eight wins during the final section of pool play en route to her fourth podium finish of 2024-25. She was joined in the top eight by the pairing of Chen (6th) and Nisha Hild (7th). Chen tallied nine individual victories, while Hild capped off an impressive first-year campaign by earning her fifth top-eight finish of the season.
The first-year foilist duo of Takamizawa and Chan Nok Sze placed fifth and seventh, respectively, in the weapon. Both Takamizawa and Chan Nok Sze piled up 10 wins apiece en route to punching their postseason tickets. Juliana Hung rounded out a trio of Wildcats on the podium in the event, placing eighth.
In the epee, Wang led the way for Northwestern, totaling 10 wins across two rounds of pool action to wrap up a third straight trip to the NCAA Championships. Pirkowski checked in one spot back in seventh place, adding 10 victories of her own to advance on.
A full listing of Northwestern's results from the NCAA Midwest Regional follows.
NCAA MIDWEST REGIONAL INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
Women's Epee
6th – Karen Wang
7th – Amanda Pirkowski
9th – Hanna Lipthay
13th – Athina Kwon
Women's Foil
5th – Yukari Takamizawa
7th – Daphne Chan Nok Sze
8th – Juliana Hung
11th – Rowan Park
Women's Sabre
4th – Natalie Shearer
6th – Alex Chen
7th – Nisha Hild
9th – Megumi Oishi
UP NEXT
The 2025 NCAA Fencing Championships will be hosted by Penn State, March 20-23, in University Park, Pa. Action on the women's side is scheduled for March 22-23 inside the Multi-Sport Facility.
Players Mentioned
Foil
/ Women's Fencing
Sabre
/ Women's Fencing
Foil
/ Women's Fencing
Epée
/ Women's Fencing
Epée
/ Women's Fencing
Sabre
/ Women's Fencing
Foil
/ Women's Fencing
Epee
/ Women's Fencing
Sabre
/ Women's Fencing
Foil
/ Women's Fencing
Epée
/ Women's FencingThis is Northwestern Athletics | 2024-25 Recap
Tuesday, August 19
David G. Kabiller NU for Life Program - 2025 Video
Tuesday, August 19
The Foundation: Northwestern Fencing
Wednesday, March 19
Laurie Schiller Full Speech | 2022 Northwestern Athletics Hall of Fame Induction
Monday, September 19
