It was a bitter end to our best season in years; finishing a few games short of a national championship. After the final, we pulled together on the show court for the trophy ceremony. As the captains accepted our Runner-Up bowl, some players wore half-hearted smiles and some were so emotionally spent that they couldn’t mask their disappointment.

If you had told us in January that we would be close to beating Trinity in the Potter Cup finals this year, we should have been overjoyed. We had not been to the finals since 2005 and had finished third in the nation in 2011. This season, we had a rocky start and a trip to the finals seemed unlikely.We started off with a devastating 5-4 loss to Princeton. After the long drive back to Cambridge, there was nothing to be done except get back to work. Through the middle of the season, we kept getting stronger with each match, including a convincing victory over Cornell. We continued to gather steam with a hard-fought win over Yale, which earned us a share of the IVY Title for the first time since 2006.

We had been gaining on Trinity for the past year. In 2012, they handed us our worst defeat of the season at 7-2. It was a lesson in competing with our backs against a wall.

They won this year’s regular season match 5-4 but, even though the result was only a two-point gain from last year, the performance reflected a massive shift in our mindset. There was not one match that fell to Trinity easily. We raced them down the stretch at full throttle and they beat us by a nose. We knew we were capable of pulling it off the Crimson’s first win against Trinity in over a decade.

Going into nationals, we had to deal with the loss of our Co-Captain, Jason Michas, from the lineup. It was a real blow to our team. Not only was he undefeated until the injury, but he was a great example of how to compete and carry oneself under pressure.

During the Yale match, Jason was tied 1-1 against Charlie Wyatt when he tore his hamstring doing a split at full speed. Adrenaline pumping, he somehow managed to win the third game but felt the severity of the injury during the break.

Knowing that he was only one game away from winning the last match of his senior year for an IVY title, he couldn’t be talked out of continuing. His concern was how to beat Wyatt without lunging onto his right leg. Jason usually relies on fitness and movement to grind opponents down and rarely takes chances with the ball. To have any chance of winning, he would have to end the rally quickly before his opponent could take control. He started shuffling quickly across the mid-court and volleying everything he could. He hit a few outrageous winners and at first, was able to keep Wyatt behind. As the game went on, he could not keep retrieving on only one leg. As he lost the fourth and then the fifth, he never let the crowd or his opponent see that he was hurt.

The night before the Potter Cup final, our heads still echoed from the dramatic semi-final win against Princeton. It it could have been tempting for the men to take their foot off the gas on Sunday, secure in the knowledge that they had had a good run and surpassed their seeding. If there was any trace of complacency, it quickly evaporated when we walked on the main glass court for introductions. The boom of the crowd and throngs of Trinity fans clad in blue and yellow jolted us into the present. Trinity has a tremendous following and they seem to make any facility feel like their home turf.

The Crimson supporters created a smaller but equally passionate group. Our “Jacked Varsity” unit alone filled a good portion of the gallery. Several of our women’s team players had come down as well, reciprocating the men’s supporting efforts the previous weekend. As always, we had the support of our wonderful group of parents. They had been such an important part of our team all season long; organizing dinners and bringing drinks, sandwiches and snacks to matches all over the east coast. They were the boys’ cheering section in victory and consolers in defeat. We were also excited to have a few young alumni from the NYC area! Our thanks to Cece Cortez, Nirasha Guruge, Reed Endressen, and Ali Zindman for their support.

The first three matches on were No. 9 Alex Ma, No. 6 Tommy Mullany, and No. 3 Nigel Koh.

Alex started us off against Matt Mackin on Court 2. He had won some big matches in the past but sometimes struggled with consistency. At the 9 spot, most winning performances are long, drawn-out battles in which fitness and superior concentration wins the day. In previous years, Alex showed shot-making brilliance but struggled when his hands were not “on.” He would have a real test against Matt Makin, a great athlete who had defeated Matty Roberts two weeks prior.

The new and improved Alex Ma stepped on the court. He lost the first game, but came off court with a level head and recognized the adjustments he needed to make.In the next two games, he played with maturity, focus and tactical savvy, winning 11-4 and 11-7. After a few diving gets and a dramatic cross-court kill into the nick he won the forth 11-7 and raised his hands over his head in triumph.

Tommy played on the three-wall glass court against Johan Detter, brother of the legendary Trinity streak-saver, Gustav Detter. Like Gustav, Johan is a classic runner who keeps rallies long and rarely makes errors. Tommy was able to take the first game with penetrating drives but couldn’t get comfortable in the second. Though Tommy controlled the T for much of the match, Johan’s relentless retrieving pressured Tommy into aim a hair’s length above the tin. Tommy made some errors and Johan’s confidence kept rolling as he ran to a four game victory.

Nigel faced Miled Zarazua on the main show court. Miled came to Trinity from Mexico as one of the top junior players in North America. He is a fearless shotmaker with quick hands. At the Murr Center a few weeks prior, he had beaten Nigel in four games. On paper, this looked as though it could be our toughest match of the day. Luckily for us, Nigel didn’t care what the odds-makers said.

Zarazua came out firing and took the first two games 11-8 and 11-7. In the third, Nigel came out a different animal and caught Zarazua off guard, allowing him only 5 points. The fourth was tight and Nigel was able to sneak through 12-10 to force a fifth game.

The finish will be forever etched in everyone’s mind. Nigel found himself down 8-10 as the crowd swelled with spectators overflowing down corridors. Those who could see the action were yelling scores to others stuck out of view.

Nigel miraculously saved two game balls to come back and won,12-10 in the fifth!

We were 2-1 up.

The second round of matches featured No. 8 Matty Roberts, No. 5 Tyler Olson, and No. 2 Brandon McLaughlin.

Matty Roberts was simply outplayed by Moustafa Hamada. The Egyptian was too strong on the day and took the match in three games. Matty’s game has improved notably this year. With his ample talent and work ethic, we know he will win big matches for us in the seasons to come.

Tyler fought hard with aggressive volley drops and top-notch court coverage but couldn’t stay with the pace and precision of the Indian Jr. National Team player, Vishrab Kotian.

In the regular season match two weeks earlier, Brandon had narrowly defeated Juan Camilo Vargas, a freshman from from Columbia. “Juanca” is a great athlete who attacks from anywhere. Brandon’s game revolves around finding the right balance in his rhythm. He is a natural shooter with an up-tempo style. The key is not letting the pace get so frenetic that it slips out of his control.

Brandon was able to stay in front of him in the first game, taking the ball early. He lost the second narrowly and couldn’t quite adjust to take back control. After struggling in the next two games to regain the momentum, he lost in four.

Trinity had swung the tide, 4-2. Co-Captain Zeke Scherl was up at 7, Gary Power at 4 and Ali at 1.

Ali’s match was on first of the final flight. He had a chip on his shoulder from the previous day’s loss against Princeton and stormed past the talented Reinhold Hergeth (a neighbor of Reggie’s from Bloemfonein, South Africa). Reinhold is a terrific shot maker but was clearly outmatched by Ali. It was our most dominant performance of the day with the score of 11-4, 11-5, 11-5.

Zeke went on against Zeyed El-Shorafy, who’s court sense and craftiness make him a standout at the 7 position. Zeke fought furiously and held his own in the first, though he lost 11-8. Zeyed upped his game and took the second 11-5. With a raucous and growing Trinity crowd pressed against the glass and yelling down over the top of the court, Zeke held him off, winning the third game 11-8. Zeyed then turned it on and won the fourth, 11-6.

Gary Power was the last on court. He was playing Karan Malik, a strong freshman from India. Karan has great hands and can lay down his drives as well as anyone in college squash. Gary had come away victorious when they met two weeks prior and he went into the match full of confidence. The match started at a blistering speed and Malik hit several outright winners to take the first game. He couldn’t sustain the pace of the first though, as Gary took the next two games 4-11, 9-11. Malik was looking tired and it seemed that Gary would wear him down and control the end of the match the match, just as he had done in the semi final. Gary’s phenomenal retrieving was especially impressive considering that he had played for over two hours the previous day.

As Gary was about to serve in the fourth game, the Trinity fans exploded in celebration of their fifth match win on the neighboring court. The roar from the growing swarm of players and fans reverberated through the building. For a minute, Gary and Malik stood still in position for the serve and waited for the din to subside.

With the championship clinched for Trinity at 5-3, the match continued but without the same vigor. Gary was clearly deflated and began making uncharacteristic errors in the fourth. The delighted Trinity players and fans slid into seats around the court, hoping for a cherry on top. Malik suddenly had a wind at his back. Free from tension, he seemed to no longer feel the mileage on his legs and his strokes regained their fluidity. He worked his way back into the match and hit several outrageous nicks as the crowed continued to bellow. Malik won in 5 games.

As one would expect after a tough loss, the ride home started in silence. The wound was too fresh for any of the guys to be cheered up. About halfway back to Cambridge, some perspective started to creep back in and they remembered that life will go on after they got back to campus. The usual banter started to spark over burgers and milkshakes at Wendy’s.

Looking back on the season we could see that we took several steps forward as a team. We trained smart and hard, finishing the season with minimal injuries. There was a greater poise and tenacity in our biggest matches. Not only did we finish with a better national and IVY League standing than in the last few years, but we comported ourselves well in victory and defeat.

Harvard Outlasts Princeton 5-4

What a day! The men beat Princeton for the first time in several years. It was an incredibly tight match full of unexpected twists.

At the 9 position, Alex Ma played a steady, smart match against Michael LeBlanc. Michael turned the pace up in the second game but Alex was able to hold him off. Alex won11-7, 12-10, 11-5.

Princeton’s Tyler Osborne, arguably the best no. 3 in the country, proved too much for Nigel Koh. Nigel lost 11-6, 11-1, 11-6

Tommy came out strong in the first but couldn’t keep Taylor Tutrone on the ropes. He lost 5-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-8

Princeton was up 2-1.

Brandon was determined to redeem himself after being handed a devastating 5 game loss by Princeton’s Sam Kang during the regular season. He wore down the speedy Singaporian with relentless volleying, winning 11-6, 16-14, 11-6.

It was a clash of styles between Tyler Olson and Stephen Harrington. Tyler took the first game with nimble retrieving but Harrington took the second by hogging the T and hitting hard drives that kept Tyler scrambling. In the third and fourth, Tyler was able to extend the rallies and exploit Harrington’s size and movement. It was one of Tyler’s best wins of the season with scores of 12-10, 7-11, 11-8, 11-6.

Matt Roberts lost the first game to the rangy sophomore, David Hoffman. As Princeton players gathered around the court, our lone freshman in the top nine would have to show his mettle. Matty came back to win 19-17 in the fourth! 10-12, 11-8, 11-4, 19-17

We were up 4-2 with Ali still to go. Between the players and coaches, any one of us would have privately considered the number one match to be an automatic tally in our column. Apparently, Harrity didn’t!

Ali came out strong and took the first game but Todd drew even with the second, then snatched the third. Todd had sharpened his short game and was punishing any reckless shot by Ali with a perfect counter drop. Ali had pulled back so many matches after sloppy starts that we always felt a deep assurance that he would come through. That day we found that day that nothing is written in stone, as Ali lost 11-8, 9-11, 11-8, 11-9. It was an incredible performance by Todd.

Zeke faced Vivek Dinodia, a freshman from India with remarkable touch and an incredibly tough opponent at 7. Dinodia was undefeated in Ivy League play and would go on to win the Malloy Division at National Individuals. Zeke couldn’t quite answer his shotmaking and lost 11-7, 11-9, 11-7.

It was 4-4. The last match on court was nothing short of epic. The crowd had grown so large that players were standing on chairs to see over several rows in the upper gallery. Gary Power was down 0-2 to Dylan Ward and losing the third game as Zeke’s match finished. Dylan was a great competitor who had unexpectedly taken down Nigel during the regular season. With the fate of the team on his back, Gary faced a massive uphill climb. Dylan was taking the lion’s share of volleys and drops. Gary, on the other hand, is an all-out attritional player. He would have to claw his way back with long rallies, while doing most of the retrieving, just to have chance. It was incredibly gutsy squash with long rallies that tested both player’s will and concentration. Two hours later, at 2-2 in games, Gary sustained a cramp in the fifth after tripping over Dylan. He was somehow able to keep pushing to reach match ball at 10-7. Dylan received a controversial let call. Gary felt the match should have been his and struggled to keep his nerve. Finally, after winning the following rally Gary raised his arms over his head and slumped down on the court as the gallery roared. After shaking Dylan’s hand, he exited the door to join his of teammates, who were hopping up and down as if on pogo sticks in the cramped hallway and screaming at the top of their lungs. The scoreline was6-11, 10-12, 11-7, 11-7, 11-7

We never expected that we would need five wins with Ali losing at the top. He has carried us so many times and he will again. It was the other boys’ turn to carry him that day.

Check out some awesome photos from the match and celebration afterwards at mtbello.com

Power’s Surge Sends Men’s Squash Into Potter Cup Finals, 5-4

Men Defeat Rochester 6-3 in First Round of Nationals

In our first outing at the 2013 National Championships, we were able to take down no. 6 seed Rochester.

We knew that we would have to be at our best, since were going into the match without our captain and No. 8 Jason Michas out of the lineup. Jason has been a stalwart for us this year, with his only loss coming from his match against Yale where he sustained a hamstring tear in the last regular season match of his career. He was still leading the squad today off the court.

Tyler Olson is back! After struggling for much of the year with back and foot issues, Tyler was in fine form tonight. He defeated, Oscar Lopez, a tenacious player from Mexico who previously Nigel in 4 games during their regular season contest.

Gary Power had an impressive win over the unflappable Adam “The Dude” Perkiomaki. Gary hit precise length and wore his opponent down in three hard-fought games.

Ali played well against the rangy Peruvian, Andres Duany. He was able to make relatively quick work of his quality oppontent, who is the 8th ranked ranked player in college squash.

Zeke played strong and was able to shut down the talented ball striking of Mateo Ming. Despite a minor letdown in the third, Zeke’s quickness accross the middle and agressive length put Ming under too much pressure and Zeke was able to pull away at the end of first, second and fourth games.

Matty Roberts produced perhaps his best squash of the season. After finding his length in the second, he was able to push the pace dramatically with precise volleying. He finished the match off in 3 workmanlike games.

Alex Ma was able to stay comfortably in front of his opponent, Juan Herrera, finishing him off in three games.

Nigel, Brandon and Tommy also fought hard but couldn’t find the answers this afternoon. We know they’ll be game and back on their feet tomorrow.

The men are in recovery mode: scarfing down dinner, taking ice baths and being treated by our massage therapist, Colleen Carney, who has been generous enough to stay with us in New Haven during the event.

The men are thrilled to have another shot at Princeton tomorrow. We’ve been hoping for this since the match at their home courts in January. The match will be played at noon. Check back here tomorrow night for a recap. Good night from New Haven!

Women Win National Championship/Men Win Share of IVY Title

The women battled through the difficult semi and final rounds to win the National Championships at Yale last weekend. The competition was fierce this season and a high level of parity between the top four teams. Our women also had to deal with the pressure that comes with defending a National title.  We took early leads and then fought off furious comebacks in both the semi against Penn and final against Trinity. Our opponents were the two most improved teams in the Howe division and it certainly showed. The fifth match in the final came from Amanda Sobhy. She took the court against Kanzy Defrawy with the score at 4-3 to Harvard. Defrawy is arguably Sobhy’s closest competitor, having taken a game off of her two weeks prior. Amanda was able to stay in front with an exciting 3-game victory, clinching the National Championship for the Crimson.

No. 1 Amanda Sobhy (H) def. Kanzy El Defrawy (T) 3-0: 11-8, 11-7, 11-8?

No. 2 Catalina Pelaez (T) def. Laura Gemmell (H) 3-0: 11-5, 11-6, 11-9?

No. 3 Haley Mendez (H) def. Wee Nee Low (T) 3-1: 11-4, 11-8, 6-11, 11-8

No. 4 Ashley Tidman (T) def. Michelle Gemmell (H) 3-0: 11-7, 11-7, 11-7?

No. 5 Saumya Karki (H) def. Robyn Hodgson (T) 3-0: 11-4, 11-9, 11-5

No. 6 Natasha Kingshott (H) def. Natalie Babjukova (T) 3-1: 11-5, 12-10, 7-11, 11-7

No. 7 Sachika Balvani (T) def. Sarah Mumanachit (H) 3-1: 11-6, 11-8, 9-11, 11-1?

No. 8 Jennefier Pelletier (T) def. Julianne Chu (H) 3-0: 11-5, 11-2, 11-5?

No. 9 Megan Murray (H) def. Chanel Erasmus (T) 3-1: 11-2, 6-11, 12-10, 11-3

No. 10 Isabelle Dowling (H) def. Katiria Sanchez (T) 3-0: 11-9, 11-7, 11-6

The men faced Yale on Monday night for a share of the IVY title. The match started at 7:00pm and did not finish until 11:30! The pivotal moment of the match came at 9:45. After wins by Brandon McLaughlin, Matty Roberts, Nigel Koh, and Ali Farag, the score was 4-3 for Harvard with Gary Power and Captain Zeke Scherl starting on courts three and four. The crowd rallied behind Zeke and he was able to finish off his opponent in four games, putting the Crimson over the top. The team swarmed around Zeke in celebration as he left the court. Gary maintained his composure throughout making the final score 6-3. It was the first IVY title for the Crimson since 2006. (Tommy Mullaney and Jason Michas both lost in 5 game nail-biters)

No. 1 Ali Farag (H) def. Kenneth Chan (Y) 3-0: 11-3, 11-3, 11-4?

No. 2 Brandon McLaughlin (H) def. Hywel Robinson (Y) 3-1: 5-11, 11-4, 11-4, 11-6?

No. 3 Nigel Koh (H) def. Richard Dodd (Y) 3-2: 11-8, 6-11, 8-11, 11-7, 11-0?

No. 4 Gary Power (H) def. Neil Martin (Y) 3-2: 12-10, 3-11, 10-12, 11-8, 11-6?

No. 5 Sam Fenwick (Y) def. Tyler Olson (H) 3-2: 11-2, 7-11, 5-11, 11-8, 11-5

No. 6 Zachary Leman (Y) def. Tommy Mullaney (H) 3-2: 11-6, 4-11, 4-11, 11-7, 11-8?

No. 7 Zeke Scherl (H) def. Eric Caine (Y) 3-1: 7-11, 11-7, 11-9, 11-5

No. 8 Charlie Wyatt (Y) def. Jason Michas (H) 3-2: 6-11, 11-3, 8-11, 11-4, 11-4?

No. 9 Matt Roberts (H) def. Joseph Roberts (Y) 3-1: 12-10, 16-14, 6-11, 11-9?

No. 10 Alexander Ma (H) def. Pehlaaj Bajwa (Y) 3-0: 11-8, 11-5, 11-9

Both Men’s IVY and women’s national titles were a testament to the hard work both on and off the court. No team is fitter and it shows. Our captains: Zeke Scherl, Jason Michas, Sarah Mumanachit and Natasha Kingshott have been dedicated to their teammates and displayed remarkable leadership throughout the year.

After taking a day to rest and enjoy the win, the men got back to work in preparing for the National Championships at Yale this weekend. As the no. 3 seed, we will play Rochester in the first round at 2:30 on Friday.

Thanks very much to the parents and alumni who came out to support us last weekend! We always appreciate a big cheering section.

For those who cannot attend this weekend, you can follow the scores on twitter, which will be ably manned by some of our freshman boys during the match @harvardsquash

Here are video’s featuring the final moments of both victories.

Sobhy’s 3rd game, clinching the National Championship

Interview and footage of Scherl’s win for the IVY Title
Check back tomorrow (Friday night) for an update on our first round match.

A Rollercoaster Month

Penn

2013 has had some big highs and lows for the Crimson. In mid-January, we faced Penn and Princeton on the road. Penn is always a tough opponent on their home courts, which are unusually hot and bouncy. Their women’s team also has a large crop of international recruits this year, which made for one of the most highly anticipated matches of the season.

We faced especially tough match-ups at the 3 and 2 positions with both Haley Mendez and Laura Gemmell finding themselves down 0-2 on the show court. In front of the booming Quakers crowd, they were able to make adjustments, control the pace and turn the tide to win in 5 games. Saumya Karki was able to put on a strong performance (straight off a flight from Mumbai, no less!) and captains Natasha Kingshott and Sarah Mumanachit earned victories at the 6 and 7 positions, respectively. Izzie Dowling lost in 4 games to the highly touted freshman Camile Lanier. Nonetheless, she played some of her best squash of the season. Julianne Chu was able to pull out a win in her first big match since coming back from injury. With the other matches finished, the entire crowd gathered around the center court to watch Sobhy’s rout of Nabilla Arrafin at the no. 1 position.

The guy came out strong and were able to handle their Penn opponents while only dropping one individual game.

Penn Men’s recap

Penn Women’s recap

Dinner at the McLaughlin’s

“This is the best thing that has ever happened!”

-So cried Baltimore native Jay Brooks, after the Ravens beat the Broncos in overtime during the playoffs. We were at the McLaughlin’s house after the Penn match for a wonderful team dinner. After a few added parents and friends were added to the mix, the guest list totaled over 60 people! The McLaughlins laid out of wonderful spread and were amazing hosts (anyone who has spent time with Slade McLaughlin will know that he takes hosting duties to heart!). After dinner, the women took some time to relax in the living room before the drive to Princeton as the boys couldn’t be rallied away from the football game.

Thanks very much to the McLaughlin’s for a wonderful evening!

Princeton

The following day was the most difficult one of the season. Princeton is always a tough opponent but we believed that we would win. We lost a few key match-ups and fought our way back but came up short in both matches.

The women were first on first and every match was hard fought, though we were not able to overcome Princeton’s early lead. The brighter notes on the Crimson women’s side included wins by Amanda Sobhy, Laura Gemmell, Saumya Karki and Natasha Kingshott. Each woman on our team learned about as competition that day about dealing with nerves and maintaining focus.

The men were introduced after the women had finished and we desperately wanted to avenge the loss. We went down in a couple matches in the middle of the order and fought to regain our footing. Tommy Mullany and Zeke Scherl played well earned important victories on the day, as they both have throughout this season. Jason Michas, looking solid as ever, stayed on top of his opponent with a 3 game victory. Meanwhile, on the show court, Brandon McLaughlin was struggling with errors, having gone down 2-0 against Sam Kang of Princeton. Brandon was able to battle back with a flurry of winners to tie at 2-2. In the last few points of the fifth, Sam played incredibly tough despite a cramp, and was able to hit some phenomenal shots to take the match.

The Princeton match slipped away from us 5-4 on both sides and we are determined to prove what we are capable of at Nationals. To their credit, both Princeton teams have played well all season.

Afterwards, our players had a couple of days off and most were able to rest and regroup at home before getting back to work.

Princeton Men’s Recap

Princeton Women’s Recap

Amherst Round Robin

The following weekend, we travelled to the Pioneer Round Robin at Amherst College for our players lower in the lineup on both teams to get some competitive experience against. Our top nine guys would also face Western Ontario while the women played Hamilton.

Western seems to be a dark horse every year. They struggle with consistency, but with their full lineup, they could threaten to knock off any team in the country. In the first round, we found ourselves down 0-1 in games in several critical matches. Matt Roberts and Jason Michas both had matches that went the distance with both players winning in the fifth. Jason had a particularly spectacular finish at 19-17! Gary Power was able to take out James Van Staveren, a raw talent who had a phenomenal junior career. Nigel Koh finished off his skilled opponent in emphatic fashion with a scoreline of 8,4,8. Tactically, it was his best performance of the year. By the end of the match, we were able to right the ship and pull away to an 8-1 victory.

The men’s “Jacked Varsity” played in the match against Amherst that afternoon. Charlie Cabot and Shaw McKean lead introductions on the packed show court. Sachin Patel, Jake Matthews and Peter Janulis earned victories in the top nine. Nikhil Mehra’s match stretched into a marathon and as the other matches finished the gallery grew crowded. He won 20-18 in the fourth in front of his cheering teammates.

On the women’s side, Julie Monrad scored an impressive and difficult win over Hamilton at the 15 spot, beating her tall and athletic opponent in 5 tough games on an unusually loud court. Eliza Calihan, Natasha Anzik, Georgiana Brinkley and Allie Sperry posted wins in the top 10 against Amherst. The day was not as competitive for the women as for the men, but it was a great day to enjoy each other’s company with a team lunch and blindfolded cartoon contests during downtime. It was a day to lift the spirits and get back on our feet after a tough loss for both teams.

Below is a video of Ali playing Albert Shoihet, Western’s no.1 player. Albert, who is Beth’s son and Mike’s son-in-law, had a real challenge on his hands. Playing Ali on a dead court is about as tough as it gets in college squash. The first game was particularly exciting with incredible winners from both players. The next two were not as close and Ali was able to pull away.

Ali v. Albert Shoihet

Western and Amherst Men’s recap

Hamilton and Amherst Women’s recap

Reception in NYC

January ended on a high note for our team. On the weekend of Jan 26th, Harvard alumni from different generations gathered at the Harvard Club in New York to meet and play with current team members.

The weekend was kicked off on the Friday evening with dinner with the seniors generously arranged by Greg Lee and Russell Ball. Players at the dinner included Alex Ma, Laura Gemmell, Charlie Cabot, Shaw McKean, Eliza Calihan, Jason Michas, Zeke Scherl, Sarah Mumanachit, and Natasha Kingshott. It was a great chance for them to sit down with two wonderful supporters of the program and swap stories about their experiences as part of Harvard Squash.

Saturday afternoon featured a hit-around between alumni and current players and an entertaining exhibition match between the 2010 and 2012 Intercollegiate Champions: Ali Farag and Colin West. At the cocktail reception that followed, the team members introduced themselves and mingled with Harvard squashers from years past. We heard a few words from Associate Athletic Director, Tim Wheaton, Mike Way, Hope Prockhop, Bill Kaplan, Tim Wyant and the captains of both the men’s and women’s teams. Everyone affirmed that we need to continue this annual gathering to celibrate our shared experience and keep the bonds of Harvard Squash strong. The players enjoyed the chance to meet so many of the people who have been in their place before and have gone on to do great things. The coaches loved being able to catch up with so many wonderful people and hope to see many of them at Men’s and Women’s Nationals at Yale.

With so many wonderful people involved,the event is sure to keep growing next year. Special thanks to Richard Chin (a Big Red man, but we love him anyway!), Tim Wyant, Charlene Neo, Joe and Diana Edge Dowling and our Friends Chairs Hope Prockop and Bill Kaplan.

Welcome to the Harvard Squash Blog- Holiday Edition!

Seasons greetings! We are excited to have this blog finally up and running. At the end of each month, we will be bringing you pre- and post- match updates, catching up with alumni and taking an inside look at the Crimson squash teams. Right now, our players are busy training (and carbo-loading!) around the globe.

Ali Farag is at home in Egypt, James Watkins and Asfy Nadeem are in the UK, Saumya Karki is in India and Tyler Olsen and the Gemmell sisters are in Canada. Matty Roberts, of South Africa, is spending his first American Christmas with the Dowling family (as long as he didn’t get lost in Grand Central!) Many of the players are at home on the east coast, getting ready to play the Williams White Tournament in Philly on the 4th-6th of Jan. It’s a great chance for college players to come together and get practice matches with a competitive buzz.

As usual, things have been pretty busy at the Murr Center. We’ve got a lot to catch up on. Hope you enjoy it!

Please come support us at Penn on Saturday, Jan. 12 and at Princeton, Sunday, Jan. 13!

Below are the Season Previews, video interviews with Head Coach, Mike Way on the team’s prospects this season:

Women’s Season Preview

Women’s Schedule

“That’s the challenge..to get out there and try to prove again, that we are the best team in college squash.”

Men’s Season Preview

Men’s Schedule

“It’s pretty much the same group of men, but if our team right now could play our team from last season, pretty sure we’d beat them 9-zip.”

The College Years – A time of change, challenge and regrettable haircuts

The sight of a newly bald Ali Farag, as seen in the video above, produced outcries and much unhappiness from our women’s team. He said he shaved it off because he “was bored during the hurricane.” Good thing that it grew back before he went home. I guess college is the time for it, if ever.

“Jacked Varsity” Bench Presses Boston College, Tufts and Berkeley

The fall is our time for hard training before the tougher matches come. It also allows us time for our “Jacked Varsity” (the guys ranked 15-24) to play local opponents. After working hard all fall, they defeated BC, Tufts and UC Berkeley by a whopping individual match score of 27-0. Seniors Charlie Cabot and Shaw McKean provided great leadership, keeping large squad on track in practice, warm-ups and introductions.

Men’s recap vs. BC (Tufts/Berkeley below)

Men’s Matches (with top 9 playing):

Dartmouth- Nov, 28 (Ivy Home Opener)

Men and Women Win 9-0

For several years, Dartmouth has held onto the in the 8th and 7th place rankings in the men’s and women’s rankings respectively. Their men’s team is led by a strong no. 1 player in Chris Hanson, a 1st Team All-American three years running who will likely play on the pro tour after college. The Big Green men came out fighting but we didn’t let them take any matches. The Dartmouth ladies also played well and stretched several of our women to 4 and 5 game matches.

Women’s recap vs. Dartmouth

Men’s recap vs. Dartmouth

Rochester- Dec, 1 (Men only)

Men Win 5-4

Playing at Rochester is always tough and our guys had been training towards this match all fall. In the first round of matches, Matty Roberts posted the second win of his college squash career at no. 9. In the no. 7 spot, Tommy Mullany avenged last year’s loss against JP Gaviria. After a tough first game, Gaviria’s gutsy retrieving couldn’t last against Tommy’s precise, tactical play with a scoreline of (9) 5, 4, 6. Meanwhile, our no. 2 player, Brandon McLaughlin, was frustrated that several calls had not gone his way after losing the first game to the experienced recruit from the UK, Neil Cordell. After regaining his focus, Brandon put on one of the top performances of the fall with a (9) 5, 8, 1 result. Men’s captain, Jason Michas, played with the savvy and tenacity of a veteran to come out on top 6, (9), 5, 3. Rochester’s top player, Andres Duany, will be in contention for a 1st Team All-America spot this year, but he was no match for Ali, who dispatched him in three games.

The bus ride back to Cambridge was long but upbeat and the win gave us great momentum going into winter break.

Men’s recap vs. Rochester, Tufts, Berkeley

Williams- Dec, 5
Men and Women Win 9-0

The Ephs are an incredibly deep team, especially on the men’s side. They have improved a great deal in the last two years and already had an awesome win over the Penn this year, so we knew we had to be ready. Harvard freshman, Sam “Goldfinger” Goldberg, won his first match in the top 9. The underdog Ephs ladies also came out fighting and made sure the crimson women couldn’t take the match for granted. Like the match against Dartmouth, the crimson ladies had to keep their focus to pull it out.

Women’s recap vs. Williams

Men’s recap vs. Williams

The Crimson Women-

Gaining Steam Towards January

The women’s team members at numbers 10-16 get most of their competitive opportunities in exhibition play. They did get off to a good start with an official 9-0 win over BC in November. In the new year, they will play against Bates, Hamilton, Amherst and Wesleyan in the top 9 spots.

Women’s recap vs. BC

We are happy to report Sophomores Julianne Chu and Amanda Sobhy are both fully recovered from injuries. As always, the focus is on training intelligently and efficiently, to keep them healthy and in our lineup for the rest of the season.

The women’s first real tests are against Penn and Princeton, on Jan. 12 and 13. They are two of the top teams in the nation, and Penn has 5 much-talked about freshman. Some consider them to be the toughest challenger for the no.1 spot. The ladies will also be looking to prove their dominance over the Tigers, who have won 4 matches in each of the last two meetings.

Here is a nice little article from the Crimson on the Gemmell sisters, two of whom are in the top five on our team. Just last week, Laura was accepted to the Masters program for Clinical Embryology at Oxford University. Congrats, Laura!

Winter Break

The players are catching up on some much-needed sleep and training at home. In team meetings, we’ve mapped out the mental and physical preparations needed to get off the blocks quickly in the new year. The players are taking responsibility for their own training programs and to return to campus fit and sharp.

From December 15 to 18, Harvard hosted the 2013 US Junior Open. It continues to be the largest junior tournament in the world with over 800 players from 20 countries! US Squash has done a ton of work to grow this into one of the most prominent events on the world junior circuit. The level of squash was extremely high, and we are lucky to have so many talented players visiting our campus, especially since so many are strong students as well. Next year’s recruiting class will be among the most competitive ever!

In our next edition, we will recap Penn and Princeton matches and look ahead to the Friends of Harvard Squash Reception in New York City, taking place at the Harvard Club on January 26. We will also take a look at our two entrants in the Tournament of Champions: Amanda and Ali.

Many thanks for your support. We coaches wish you a happy holiday season! Enjoy the bubbly!

Mike Way, Gregory Lee 87′ and Russell Ball ’88 Endowed Coach for Squash at Harvard University– Profile

Reggie Schonborn, Assistant Coach- Profile

Luke Hammond, Assistant Coach- Profile