So, basketball season is over. Not that you were emotionally invested in that, or anything. Spring football practice has started up again, and we'll also be diving into coverage of NU's other non-revenue spring sports soon, but for now, let's recap the winter season for our non-basketball squads.
Lots of good stuff here, as two teams finished in their customary spots among the upper echelon of the NCAA, and NU also saw a bunch of athletes crowned as All-Americans.
Fencing: The Wildcats finished eighth at the NCAA championships this past weekend, making this their 13th straight top-10 finish. They could have placed higher, too, had junior sabre fencer (sabrist?) Chloe Grainger not suffered an injury on the first day of the tournament, forcing her to withdraw.
Junior epeeist Kate Cavanaugh had NU's highest finish, tying for third in her weapon and earning first-team All-American honors. Joining her on the All-Amercan team was junior foilist Dayana Sarkisova, who placed sixth in her weapon. This was Sarkisova's third straight year making All-American.
Freshman epeeist Corutney Dumas laced 15th, while senior Devynn Patterson placed 17th.
Ohio State won the unofficial women's championship, as well as the official NCAA title, which combines the men's and women's results. NU doesn't have a varsity men's team, having disbanded it in the mid-90s due to Title IX.
Wrestling: Redshirt freshman heavyweight Mike McMullan took a surprising third place at the NCAA championships on March 17, while redshirt junior Jason Welch placed fourth at 157 pounds, leading Northwestern to a ninth place team finish. Both McMullan and Welch were named All-Americans. This was Welch's second straight hear earning All-American honors.
NU's 9th place showing was its best since placing fourth in the 2006-2007 season.
Big Ten squads dominated the championships, with Penn State winning the title, followed by Minnesota and Iowa. Ohio State took fifth, and Illinois took seventh.
Women's swimming: Senior Jenny Wilson shattered NU's 100-yard breaststroke record during preliminaries and earned first-team All-American honors with an eight-place finish in the finals of the NCAA championships on March 16. Wilson's new record in the event is 59.61, breaking the 12-year-old mark of 59.84. Wilson also swam the 200-yard breaststroke, finishing 26th.
Junior Taylor Reynolds swam the 100-yard free, placing 58th overall. Wilson's finish in the 100-yard breaststroke was NU's only point-scoring performance, as the Wildcats placed 35th overall. Cal won its second straight national title.
Men's swimming: No NU swimmer qualified for the NCAA championships, sadly.