Ithaca, NY — A year after winning the Barnaby Award as the most improved team, Cornell held steady and buttressed their position in the “A” Division.
The Big Red shot up from 11th to 6th between the 2007-2008 and the 2008-2009 seasons. The 2010 Men’s National Team Championships saw them maintain their sixth-place national ranking.
Most of the players from last season’s roster will be back this fall. The Big Red have lost Chris Vernick and three-time All-American Chris Sachvie to graduation. But the math is in the Big Red’s favor, as three new player will join the roster and the overall number of Sachvies in the Cornell squash program remains constant. Sophomore Nick Sachvie has transferred to Cornell from Niagara College and is expected to play in the top 3. Steven Peever, who posted an 8-2 record playing everywhere from number 5 to number 9 for the Big Red in 2008-2009, will be returning to the team after a year’s leave. First-year player Bryan Keating rounds out the additions to the roster and should play somewhere in the lower third of Cornell’s line-up.
The Big Red will open their season with a series of three tough matches on the road. In a three-day stretch they’ll take on F&M, Princeton, and Penn. Last season they beat Penn handily, and had competitive matches with F&M and Princeton: a 6-3 win over the Diplomats and a 3-6 loss to the Tigers.
The competitive exploits of several players over the summer should help the Big Red hit the ground running in November. Nick Sachvie and Arjun Gupta were members of the Canadian team that finished third at the World Junior Championships in Ecuador. Sachvie made the final 16 in individual play. Keating and Alex Dominick both represented the United States in international play: Keating was on the US team in Ecuador and Dominick was on the squad that won bronze at the World University Games in Melbourne, Australia.
While many teams head for warmer climes during January, the Big Red will be traveling to Toronto, home of Gupta and his brother Amar, who also plays for Cornell, and sophomore Owen Butler.
2009-2010 SEASON RECAP
Season Record: 10-7
Final Ranking: 6
Team Championships: 6th Overall; 6th in in Potter Cup (A Division)
2010-2011 SEASON PREVIEW
Program Status: Varsity
Head Coach: Mark Devoy
Returning Players from Team Championships: Pat Brady (11; 2010-11 Captain); Owen Butler (10); McKay Claghorn (9; 2009-2010 Captain; 2010-11 Captain); Alex Domenick (1); Amar Gupta (7); Arjun Gupta (3); David Hilton (5); Rishi Jalan (6); Thomas Spettigue (4)
Graduates on Last Season’s Team Championships Roster: Chris Sachvie (2; 2nd Team All-American; 2009-2010 Captain); Chris Vernick (8)
Additions to the 2010-2011 Roster:
- Expected to play in the top 3: Nick Sachvie
- Expected to play in the middle to bottom 3: Steven Peever
- Expected to play in the bottom 3: Bryan Keating
Captains: McKay Claghorn and Pat Brady
Team Goals: Improve national and Ivy League rankings
Key Matches: All
To read other team previews, please visit the 2010 – 2011 College Squash Preview Page.
