By Anne Bello and Michael T. Bello, co-Editors of CollegeSquashAssociation.com
Although the 2009-2010 college squash season is just getting underway, there have been plenty of exciting tournaments and matches through mid-November.
During the first weekend of November, the Ivy League schools gathered in New Haven (CT) for the annual Ivy League Scrimmages. Considering the weekend’s matches counted only for pride, the eight Ivy League schools—Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Pennsylvania, Princeton, and Yale—all were intent on proving themselves. As scrimmages, the results did not count toward national or Ivy League rankings, but the competition did give a sense of where teams stand coming into the start of the season.
Even with several players sitting out, the Harvard women rolled over Yale in the finals, winning 8-1. Contributing to the team’s success were members of the Crimson’s deep first-year class, including Laura Gemmell, the highest ranked first-year player in the CSA’s women’s preseason individual rankings. With all the players from last season’s Howe Cup squad returning, the Crimson are ready to contend for the national title they narrowly missed last season.
Harvard didn’t get a rematch with the team that denied them that title, defending national and Ivy League champions Princeton. The Tigers, who were No. 1 in the preseason rankings, lost to fifth-ranked Yale in the second round by a decisive 2-7. Princeton was competing without several players, including 2008-2009 All-American Neha Kumar, who played No. 2 at the end of last season.
Like the Harvard women, the Yale men benefited from the contributions of first-year players, with Richard Dodd playing at No. 5 and Kenneth Chan proving to be a solid No. 1. The Bulldogs blanked Brown and Dartmouth on their way to the finals, where they defeated defending Ivy League champion and national runner-up Princeton, 6-3. Although most of the squads had some players sit out during the weekend, the Bulldogs should be encouraged by their strong start, especially after coming off a disappointing 2008-2009 season.
Another team that should be encouraged by their performance is Dartmouth. In Hansi Wiens’ head coaching debut, the Dartmouth men battled Harvard to a 5-4 win in the first round. Both teams will have something to prove when the Crimson travel to Hanover in early December.
This year’s Ivy Scrimmages also marked the first appearance by the Columbia men, who were led by new head coach Jacques Swanepoel. They joined the Columbia women, who were making their third trip to the Ivy Scrimmages. As emerging varsity teams, the Lions are not yet competing on the same level as the other Ivy squads, but both Columbia teams should only continue to improve in the coming years.
In addition to the Ivy League Scrimmages, there have been many other college squash events already this season. In late September, the men’s season kicked off at Purdue University. Although thousands of Notre Dame and Purdue fans were on campus, they were forced to watch the football game because the squash facility could not accommodate the crowd. In the round robin, Purdue defeated both Illinois and Notre Dame. Illinois, the winner of last year’s Emerging Team’s Division at the National Team Championships, shutout Notre Dame.
Notre Dame and Illinois battled again in the Northwestern Round Robin. Once again, Illinois earned the victory. Host Northwestern went undefeated in the event.
The Denison Round Robin, despite the name, was held at Kenyon College’s new eight-court squash facility. Western Ontario went undefeated with victories over the Naval Academy, Denison, Northwestern, and Kenyon. Kenyon wants to establish a rivalry with its close neighbor Denison, the top club program in the country. The Lords lost to Denison 2-7, but the matches were competitive. Perhaps the rivalry has started.
The Naval Academy hosted not one, but two round robins. With nine victories, the Midshipmen went undefeated in their round robins. Each event attracted schools from around the nation. The University of Southern California, Stanford, and the University of Washington all travelled across the country for a chance to compete. At the first round robin, Washington earned two exciting 5-4 victories over the University of Virginia and Drexel. In the second round robin, Georgetown defeated USC, Fordham, and Vanderbilt and lost to Denison.
In November, Boston University hosted its round robin. The Terriers defeated Swarthmore, the University of Vermont, and Brandeis in the tournament.
Although there have been fewer women’s matches than men’s through mid-November, the excitement is at equal levels. After a challenging 2008-2009 campaign, Smith College opened the season with a 7-2 victory over fellow Seven Sisters school Wellesley. Northeastern visited Smith the following weekend and escaped with a 5-4 victory.
Over the past few seasons, the University of Rochester men’s team has ascended the rankings. The newly formed women’s team hopes to follow their example. In their first match ever, the Yellowjackets defeated Notre Dame 6-3. In their first home match, Rochester lost to William Smith.
Yale University will host the Men’s National Team Championships (Feb. 19-21) and the Women’s National Team Championships (Howe Cup, Feb. 26-28). With over 600 scheduled matches before team championships in February, the college squash season is just beginning. CollegeSquashAssociation.com, the new home of intercollegiate squash, is covering all of the action this season. For articles, photos, and videos related to college squash, please visit the site.
