Philadelphia, PA — Drexel fans, mark your calendars for October 27th. That’s the day a new era in Drexel squash history begins, as the Dragons will take on Haverford in their first match as a varsity team.
Going varsity is just one of many changes Drexel squash has undergone in its short history. Last spring Drexel announced that former world number 1 John White would leave F&M to be the Dragons’ first head coach. Drexel will host the U.S. Open in early October, and five new courts will be built by January.
The Drexel line-up will have three new faces at the top of the ladder. Justin Singh (Australia), Sebastian Dangond (Colombia), and Nick DiDonato (Chestnut Hill Academy) should make an immediate impact on the team. The seven players from last year’s top nine who are returning will fill the rest of the ladder with experience.
White describes this year as “a very exciting time for Drexel to start a new varsity sport in squash,” citing “great support from the Athletic Department to get the program started.” Columbia and Middlebury, the last two men’s teams to go varsity, have both improved significantly, and Drexel will look to follow them up the national rankings.
2010-2011 SEASON RECAP
Season Record: 10-14
Final Ranking: 46
Team Championships: 5th in Serues Cup (F Division)
2011-2012 SEASON PREVIEW
Program Status: Varsity
Head Coach: John White
Returning Players from Team Championships: (1) Chakkranga Rajabaksha, (3) Adam Ryan, (4) Vinayak Kalani, (5) Nakul Jain, (6) Kevin Sacherman, (8) Henry Meigs, (9) Ravi Patel, (10) Amey Khanolkar, (11) Paul Jamrgowicz
Graduated/Non-returning players from 2010-2011 Team: (2) Kevin Rose, (7) Vaibhav Yadav
Additions to the 2011-2012 roster:
- Expected to play in the top 3: Justin Singh, Sebastian Dangond, and Nick DiDonato
Team Goals: To get used to playing as a varsity team and to get as many wins as they can to improve the rankings
To read other team previews, please visit the 2011-2012 College Squash Season Previews page.
