New York, NY — In only their fifth year as a varsity program, Columbia earned a position in the Howe Cup (A Division) at Team Nationals. Considering the Lions only lost two players from the middle of their Team Championship line-up to graduation and are expecting first-year students to bolster the top of their ladder, Columbia in not resting on their laurels. The Lions want to compete with the best teams in the nation and that means remaining in the top division at Team Championships. According to assistant coach Joanne Schickerling, “We are a highly motivated team that is hungry for more wins!” Matches with Cornell, Dartmouth, George Washington, and Stanford will be key this season. These squads were all in the mix for the final spots in the 2014 – 2015 Howe Cup. Last season, the Lions earned a 5-4 victory over Stanford and lost 4-5 to George Washington. If Columbia’s first-year students do bump returning players farther down the ladder, that would be a huge benefit to the Lions. This could allow the experienced players to increase their individual and team win percentages. Look for Columbia to be back in the Howe Cup this season.
2014-2015 SEASON RECAP
Season Record: 7-9
Final Ranking: 7
Team Championships: 7th in the Howe Cup (A Division)
By the Numbers (From US Squash): 5-4 Matches Won: 1 of 2… Top 3 Win %: 0.3542… Middle 3 Win %: 0.4167… Lower 3 Win %: 0.3404
2015-2016 SEASON PREVIEW
Program Status: Varsity
Head Coach: Jacques Swanepoel
Returning Players from Team Championships: 1. Colette Sultana (2017 – Academic All-Ivy, All-Ivy League Team); 2. Reyna Pacheco (2016); 3. Catherine Jenkins (2016 – CSA Scholar Athlete); 4. Maya Patel (2017); 7. Addie Fulton (2018); 8. Leah Barnet (2016); 9. Jamie Pawlik (2017); 10. Adele Bernhard (2018); 11. Sareen Ahmar (2018);
Graduated/Non-Returning Players from 2014-2015 Team Championships: 5. Alisha Maity (2015 – CSA Scholar Athlete); 6. Kate Calihan (2015)
Additions to the 2015-2016 Roster:
- Expected to play in the top 3: Maddie O’Connor and Maryam Aly
- Expected to play in the bottom 3: Diana Masch
Captains: Leah Barnet and Catherine Jenkins
Team Goals: Keep making headway in the Ivy League.
Key Matches: Cornell, Dartmouth, George Washington, and Stanford
To read other team previews, please visit the 2015-2016 College Squash Season Previews page.
