Poughkeepsie, NY — The 2008-2009 season was a difficult one for Vassar. Through the middle of February, the closest the team came to winning a dual match was a 3-6 loss to Columbia. But in the final dual match of the season, the Brewers swept Bard 9-0. Buoyed by that victory, the team beat UNC decisively in the first round of the Serues Cup. They then regrouped after a semifinal loss to Kenyon to defeat Fordham 5-4 and finish 43rd in the nation. The Brewers hope to carry their success from the end of last season into this one and finish in the top 40.
The team will lose four of its top five players from last season to graduation, including the number 1 player, Austin Minkowski. In their place, three first-year students with squash experience — Jake Harris, Andrew Lindsay, and Robert Ruggiero — will join the team and are expected to play at the top of the ladder. The six returning players from last year’s National Team Championships are all juniors and seniors and will bring experience to the team. Several upperclassmen will be joining the team and a number of players who were on last year’s roster but did not compete at nationals will be back as well.
Vassar will be without an assistant coach this year, but the Brewers still have a busy season planned. The players are fund-raising for a training trip, and they are planning a community service program through Poughkeepsie’s Education Department.
2008-2009 Season Recap
SEASON RECORD: 3-18
FINAL RANKING: 43rd
NATIONAL TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS: 43rd; 3rd in Serues Cup (F Division)
2009-2010 Season Preview
Returning Players from Team Championships: Hendrick Isom ’10 (3); Arjun Agarwala ’10 (6); Mehdi Naqvi ’11 (7); Arjun Jain ’11 (8); Kyle Holter ’11 (9); David Prentice ’10 (10)
Graduating Players from Team Championships: Austin Minkowski (1); Daniel Tan (2); Jacob Kantrowitz-Sirotkin (4); Nick Lupu (5)
Additions to 2009-2010 Roster:
- Expected to play in the top 3: Jake Harris ’13; Andrew Lindsay ’13; Robert Ruggiero ’13
- Expected to compete for spots at the bottom of the ladder: Max Middleton ’12; Toby Fox ’10; Ansser Sadiq ’11; Jared Eisenberg ’10; Jon Seclow ’12; Yi Tan ’12; Andrew Davidow ’11
Captains: Hendrick Isom and Arjun Agarwala
Team Goals: To finish in the top 40
To read other team previews, please visit the 2009 – 2010 College Squash Preview Page.
