EVANSTON, Ill. -- The Fairleigh Dickinson women's fencing team finished with a 3-7 team record at the Northwestern Duels over the weekend, as the Knights faced their toughest tournament schedule of the season. The annual competition is one of the strongest and longest-running collegiate fencing meets in the United States, featuring a slew of Olympians, national medalists and NCAA Championship programs. Despite facing elite opponents over two days of competition, Fairleigh Dickinson's team – relatively young by comparison and battling through a season marked by injuries – posted many notable victories and close matches, helping to establish them as one of the up-and-coming programs nationally.

It was the foil squad that led the way for FDU over the course of the weekend, and they did so most notably without the help of foil squad captain, Alix Lerch (Puebla, Puebla, Mexico/Instituto Oriente), who is currently unable to compete for medical reasons. Despite her absence, the foil line-up of redshirt sophomore Nadine Abdelaziz (Bayonne, N.J./), freshman Anna Braun (Neuss, Germany/) and freshman Jillian Habersaat (New Milford, N.J./) (all first-year starters for the Knights) completed the weekend with a solid 7-3 mark as a squad. Individually, Abdelaziz continued to be impressive – fresh off a 14-1 record at the Philadelphia Invitational, she was undefeated after day one at the NU Duels and finished 24-6 on the weekend. Braun was close behind, posting a 23-7 record over two days and showing her talent in her first competition of the season after recovering from injury. Habersaat added another 10 wins on the weekend to the squad's total.

Squad captain, Hanna Heldenmuth (Miami, Fla./Keystone National) was the top performer for the Knights in saber, finishing 18-12 on the weekend, while teammate Kathryn Heaney (Teaneck, N.J./Teaneck) added another 13 victories. Hana Ramdedovic (Teaneck, N.J./) rounded out the saber squad as they finished 3-7 on the weekend. In epee, the trio of Yeliz Inalman (Fort Lee, N.J./Fort Lee), Tanya Rivera (Union City, N.J./Union City), and Janki Patel (Franklin Lakes, N.J./Indian Hills) continued to post consistent marks and show their development, finishing with 11, 9, and 8 wins respectively in individual competition and another two victories as a squad.

The Knights will look ahead to in-state competitions at NJIT before preparing for the National Squad Championships at the end of February.  
 
ROUND-BY-ROUND RECAPS

FDU vs. Cal Tech: W 18-9
In round one of competition, FDU opened with a strong 18-9 victory against California Institute of Technology. Perfect 3-0 marks by Nadine Abdelaziz (Bayonne, N.J./) and Jillian Habersaat (New Milford, N.J./) helped lead FDU to an 8-1 victory in foil. In saber, Hanna Heldenmuth (Miami, Fla./Keystone National) and Kathryn Heaney (Teaneck, N.J./Teaneck) also went undefeated as the saber squad posted a 7-2 win, with Hana Ramdedovic (Teaneck, N.J./) contributing the final victory. Epeeists Yeliz Inalman (Fort Lee, N.J./Fort Lee), Tanya Rivera (Union City, N.J./Union City), and Janki Patel (Franklin Lakes, N.J./Indian Hills) all posted one victory in the 3-6 loss in epee, helping to round out the team win.

FDU vs. Tufts: L 15-12
In a closely-contested match, FDU was edged by Tufts 15-12 despite winning individual records by several of FDU's fencers. The foil squad posted a decisive 8-1 victory behind 3-0 marks by Nadine Abdelaziz (Bayonne, N.J./) and Anna Braun (Neuss, Germany/) and a 2-1 performance by Jillian Habersaat (New Milford, N.J./). In epee, Tanya Rivera (Union City, N.J./Union City) led FDU with a 2-1 record, while saber captain Hanna Heldenmuth (Miami, Fla./Keystone National) added two victories in saber.

FDU vs. Stanford: L 18-9
Stanford's strong performances in epee and saber were too much for FDU and earned Stanford the 18-9 victory in FDU's third round of competition. For FDU, the foil squad remained dominant with an 8-1 win over the Cardinal behind undefeated rounds by Nadine Abdelaziz (Bayonne, N.J./) and Anna Braun (Neuss, Germany/). Hanna Heldenmuth (Miami, Fla./Keystone National) posted the lone victory in saber for the Knights.
F
DU vs. UC San Diego: L 15-12
Despite earning the squad victory in foil, FDU was narrowly defeated by UC San Diego, who posted wins in epee and saber. For the Knights, Anna Braun (Neuss, Germany/) and Nadine Abdelaziz (Bayonne, N.J./) once again posted perfect 3-0 marks on the way to a 6-3 victory in foil. In saber, Hanna Heldenmuth (Miami, Fla./Keystone National) posted a winning 2-1 record while Kathryn Heaney (Teaneck, N.J./Teaneck) added another victory to the total. Yeliz Inalman (Fort Lee, N.J./Fort Lee) led the epee squad with a 2-1 performance, while Tanya Rivera (Union City, N.J./Union City) added a win to finish 1-2 individually in the round.

FDU vs. Lawrence: W 19-8
FDU finished day one of competition with a decisive 19-8 victory over Lawrence University, including a sweep of all three weapons. Foil once again led the way for the Knights with an 8-1 victory behind perfect rounds by Nadine Abdelaziz (Bayonne, N.J./) and Anna Braun (Neuss, Germany/), who both finished 3-0. In saber, Kathryn Heaney (Teaneck, N.J./Teaneck) was the top performer for FDU, finishing undefeated as the saber squad earned the 6-3 win. FDU's epee squad edged Lawrence 5-4 behind a perfect 3-0 round by Janki Patel (Franklin Lakes, N.J./Indian Hills).

FDU vs. Northwestern: L 22-5
In the opening round of day two, Northwestern defended their home court with a 22-5 victory over FDU. In foil, Anna Braun (Neuss, Germany/) led the Knights with two victories while Nadine Abdelaziz (Bayonne, N.J./) added another win in the 6-3 loss. Hanna Heldenmuth (Miami, Fla./Keystone National) and Tanya Rivera (Union City, N.J./Union City) contributed the lone victories in saber and epee respectively.

FDU vs. Princeton: L 26-1
FDU was outmatched by Princeton in the second round of day two, falling 26-1 to the defending NCAA National Champions. Despite several closely-contested bouts, Yeliz Inalman (Fort Lee, N.J./Fort Lee) was able to post the lone victory in the round for the Knights.

FDU vs. Cleveland State: W 22-5
The Knights bounced back in round three to earn a 22-5 victory over Cleveland State, including a sweep of all three weapons. The epee squad led the way for FDU with a 9-0 victory behind perfect rounds by Yeliz Inalman (Fort Lee, N.J./Fort Lee), Tanya Rivera (Union City, N.J./Union City), and Janki Patel (Franklin Lakes, N.J./Indian Hills) who all finished 3-0 in the round. In foil, Anna Braun (Neuss, Germany/) and Nadine Abdelaziz (Bayonne, N.J./) both finished 3-0, with Jillian Habersaat (New Milford, N.J./) adding two more victories in the 8-1 win. FDU earned a 5-4 victory in saber behind a 3-0 round by Hanna Heldenmuth (Miami, Fla./Keystone National), with Kathryn Heaney (Teaneck, N.J./Teaneck) adding two victories to round out the win.

FDU vs. North Carolina: L 16-11
FDU's foil squad was once again able to earn a victory, despite the team loss to UNC. Nadine Abdelaziz (Bayonne, N.J./) was the top performer for the Knights, once again posting a perfect 3-0 mark, while Anna Braun (Neuss, Germany/) added two more victories in the 5-4 win in foil. In saber, Heldenmuth finished with a 2-1 record with Kathryn Heaney (Teaneck, N.J./Teaneck) adding a third victory for the Knights. Yeliz Inalman (Fort Lee, N.J./Fort Lee) led FDU in epee with a 2-1 record against the Tar Heels, while Janki Patel (Franklin Lakes, N.J./Indian Hills) also captured a win in the round.

FDU vs. Duke: L 20-7
The Knights were outmatched by Duke, falling 20-7 in the final round of competition. Nadine Abdelaziz (Bayonne, N.J./) and Anna Braun (Neuss, Germany/) both posted winning 2-1 records in foil despite the 5-4 squad loss. Hanna Heldenmuth (Miami, Fla./Keystone National) also finished with two victories while Kathryn Heaney (Teaneck, N.J./Teaneck) added another win in the 6-3 losing effort in saber.