Feb. 26, 2007

EVANSTON, IL - The ninth-ranked Temple women's fencing team, guided under the direction of 35th-year head coach Nikki Franke, concluded their regular season Sunday afternoon following a 3-1 finish at the Northwestern Invitational. With Saturday's 4-1 mark, the Cherry and White completed the two-day event with a 7-2 record.

Temple knocked off North Carolina (19-8), Johns Hopkins (20-7) and Lawrence (23-4), but was toppled by Northwestern (20-7). With their weekend performance, the Owls complete the 2007 regular season schedule with a 24-6 overall record.

Although some fencers struggled on Sunday, third-year assistant coach Bradley Baker noted that the Cherry and White performed much better than their finishes may show.

"Despite some struggles today, a number of people fenced considerably better than their records would indicate," commented Baker.

Baker's epee rotation finished Sunday's day of competition with a 23-13 overall mark and was led by another solid day from freshman Kristin Howell (5-2), junior Brianna Ferrara (5-1) and sophomore Kaitlyn Uckert (6-2). Sophomore Melissa Forsythe posted a 4-3 record on day-two while junior Marla Nacey finished 3-5.

Sophomore Nina Gernes' 6-1 mark led the way for the Cherry and White foil attack while freshman Melissa Parker turned in a 5-2 finish. Freshman Abigail Schifferle posted a flawless 6-0 record while classmate Meredith Bratton went 4-1. Junior Samantha Myles (4-3) and sophomore Sabrina Shapiro (2-2) rounded-out Franke's foil rotation.

The Owls' sabre line-up featured .500 performances from sophomore Ashlee Phillips (5-5) and freshman Christie Griffith (4-4). Freshmen Lauren Baker tallied a 4-2 mark while Sara Haase finished 3-2. Junior Kristine Jones (3-4) completed the Cherry and White sabre rotation.

The Cherry and White will look to extend their current 11-year winning streak at the NIWFA Championships on Saturday, March 3 at Smith College.