One Ryan Fieldhouse. Three weapon categories. Sixteen individual schools. And dozens upon dozens of fencers, with swords clashing all at once.
The Schiller Duals is the annual fencing competition hosted by Northwestern. This features 16 schools, many of which compete all at once between women’s and men’s, set up on strips all across Ryan Fieldhouse. The event was two days of weapons clashing, strategic planning, and the screams that came with major victories.
The event is named after Laurie Schiller, Northwestern’s fencing coach for 39 years. Some hang up their swords after a career as illustrious as his. Not Schiller. Donning a purple and white tie, Schiller still bleeds purple. And he was in attendance as a referee.
[Zach Moss] None of this would be possible without him, and keeping him involved and connected to the program and that he’s still in the sport in the way he is, it’s special. And getting to honor him and spend time with him is great, and, you know, because he built this program basically from the ground up, and I’m very fortunate that he and Northwestern trusted me to try to build on that legacy.
That’s Northwestern fencing head coach Zach Moss. He took the reins from Schiller in 2016. In Moss’s time with Northwestern, a national championship was never in reach. This season is the first with individual championships for men’s and women’s. In the past, the winning team was always a combination of scores from men’s and women’s results. This meant that Northwestern, which only has a Division I women’s team, could not win the Championship. Until now. Moss’s thoughts on a championship?
[Moss] That’s our goal, this year and moving forward. So every year I’ve been here, the goal is: let’s take one step forward as a program, one step forward as a program, and our goal is to be fencing the best we can by the end of the season, and so let’s learn throughout the season so we can get there.
And after this weekend, the ‘Cats looked like a potential champion. Twelve duals. Just one loss. This loss to Notre Dame has been a recurring trend for Moss and company. To Moss, this is merely a reflection of the excellence of the Fighting Irish program.
[Moss] They have a depth of talent that is impressive, and then they also have an incredible ability to develop. And I think when I started here, they were an aspirational program for us, and now they’re a competitor.
One of the toughest parts of Notre Dame is its strong group of young sabre fencers. Sophomore Magda Skarbonkiewicz, who didn’t compete against NU this weekend, won the NCAA Championships last season. Siobhan Sullivan, also a Notre Dame sophomore, placed second. Northwestern had a strong contingent of first-year sabrists in its own right last season. The difference this season, however, is Northwestern’s addition of Sophia Schiminovich. She shares the same coach as the two Notre Dame stars: Skarbonkiewicz’s father, Adam. Dennis Kolakowski, a Northwestern assistant coach who focuses on Sabre, emphasized Schiminovich’s help in addition to the team’s scouting.
[Dennis Kolakowski] So having Sophia come in with a lot of experience against them that, you know, not just in competitive competition, but every day in practice for years, gives us that dimension. And even if Sophia’s on the sideline, being able to give that information to her teammates and know what they’re gonna like to do.
The NU sabre class combined for an 85-23 record over the weekend. With 12 duals in one weekend, the depth of options was on full display.
The Schiller Duals also marked the final competition in Evanston for Northwestern’s seniors. With seven seniors being celebrated, it was a full-circle moment for many. Moss highlighted two in particular, Megumi Oishi and Karen Wang, who had a monumental impact.
[Moss] From a results perspective, Megumi Oishi and Karen, Karen Wang, the two of them, I don’t know what at this point they haven’t really accomplished. And that has set a bar that everyone else has strived for since the day they walked through the door. And everyone in terms of work ethic, camaraderie, support, team culture, like top to bottom, that crew, has just set a new standard for the program.
For Oishi in particular, she stands out on the strip. She dons a pair of gray headphones prior to her bout. After nearly every touch, a primal scream is heard throughout Ryan Fieldhouse. Oishi embraced the passion of the competition like no other on Saturday and Sunday.
Kolakowski has worked with Oishi for years and had this to say about their time together.
[Kolakowski] I’ve watched her fence around 500 competitive bouts in her career. From before she was here, through her Northwestern career, for USA fencing tournaments, and it’s not one memory, but it’s all the things she’s accomplished. And it’s the constant passion, the creativity, the pure like, energy she puts out on that strip, like, you know, I don’t know how she still has a voice at the end of the day and how she hasn’t stomped a hole through the strip yet, but like. She’s really a personification of will.
The fencing season is approaching a crucial stretch. In February and March, Northwestern competes in the CCFC Championships, the Midwest Regionals, and the NCAA Championships. The latter allows up to six qualifiers per team, two in each weapon class. In its quest for an NCAA Championship, Northwestern is about to start a major gauntlet.
For WNUR News, I’m Gabe Shumway.