Ithaca, NY – Last season, Cornell returned to the Potter Cup of the National Team Championships for the first time since 2005, finishing the season ranked 6th in the nation. This year, the Big Red, who won the 2009 Barnaby Award for team improvement, look to take on the top teams in the A division.
Cornell returns all ten of its top players from last season’s championship roster, having lost only number 11, Andrew McReynolds, to graduation. Leading the team will be captains Chris Sachvie, a senior who was All-Ivy and 2nd-Team All-American in 2008, and junior Mckay Claghorn, who played number 7 last season.
Mark Devoy, now entering his sixth season as coach, will be working with a young, deep squad. All of last year’s top ten players were individually ranked in the top 100, with Sachvie (19), Alex Domenick (24), Will Hartigan (29), and Thomas Spettigue (41) ranked in the top 50. The team will only get deeper this season, with the additions of freshmen Arjun Gupta and Rishi Jalan, who will compete for spots in the middle of the ladder, and Owen Butler, who should help strengthen the bottom of the ladder. Brothers Stephen and Chris Stinson will also join the Big Red’s roster.
Cornell will play a challenging schedule, opening their first weekend of play with matches against Princeton, Western Ontario, and Penn. In December the Big Red will take on Harvard, who beat them 5-4 in the opening round of the National Team Championships, and they’ll face Yale, Dartmouth, Williams, and Rochester on the road in the second half of the season.
2008-2009 Season Recap
SEASON RECORD: 13-5
FINAL RANKING: 6th
NATIONAL TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS: 6th; 6th in Potter Cup (A Division)
2009-2010 Season Preview
Returning Players from Team Championships: Chris Sachvie ’10 (1; All-Ivy, 2nd Team All-American); Alex Domenick ’12 (2); Will Hartigan ’11 (3); David Hilton ’12 (4); Thomas Spettigue ’12 (5); Charlie Wagner ’12 (6); Mckay Claghorn ’11 (7); Amar Gupta ’11 (8); Chris Vernick ’10 (9); Pat Brady ’11 (10)
Graduating Players from Team Championships: Andrew McReynolds (11)
Additions for the 2009-2010 Roster:
- Expected to compete for the 4th through 6th ladder positions: Arjun Gupta (finished 2nd U17 in 2008 Canadian Junior Championships); Rishi Jalan (played 1 at Phillips Academy, won #1 flight in New England Interscholastic “A” tournament)
- Expected to compete for the 7th through 9th ladder positions: Owen Butler
- Other Additions: Chris Stinson, Stephen Stinson
Captains: Chris Sachvie and Mckay Claghorn
Team Goals: To move up in rankings to 4th or 5th or maintain position
Key Matches: Western Ontario, Penn, Princeton, Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, Williams, and Rochester
To read other team previews, please visit the 2009 – 2010 College Squash Preview Page.
