Washington, DC — George Washington has moved up spots in the national rankings in each of the past five seasons. The Colonials have climbed from 30th in 2007 to 18th last year, and now the Summers Cup finalists are aiming for the B Division and the top 16.
GW came within a match of winning the 2011 Summers Cup, and the team that defeated them — Bowdoin — will be one of the Colonials’ key matches along with Bates, Middlebury, and St. Lawrence. Bates and Middlebury had strong wins over GW, and it should be interesting to see how much of the gap the Colonials will be able to close.
On paper the 2011 Colonials look to have an edge over their 2010 counterparts. The team lost two players from the middle of the line-up and have gained one player who should compete in the top 3, Ibrahim Bakir of American University Cairo. David Moxley (Hill School) is expected to fill in one of the spots in the middle of the order, and Kyle Webb (Greens Farms) and Rendy Mao (Mercersburg) are both expected to play in the bottom 3.
2010-2011 SEASON RECAP
Season Record: 17-8
Final Ranking: 18
Team Championships: 2nd in Summers Cup (C Division)
2011-2012 SEASON PREVIEW
Program Status: Varsity
Head Coach: Wendy Lawrence
Returning Players from Team Championships: (1) Islam El-Fiky, (2) Omar Sobhy (2011 Molloy Cup winner), (3) Jose Calderon (CSA Scholar Athlete), (5) Adam Pistel, (7) Brett Feldman, (8) Samuel Ehrlich, (9) Player Haynes, (10) Chris Bell, (11) Larkin Brinkworth
Graduated/Non-returning players from 2010-2011 Team: (4) Michael Bower (CSA Scholar Athlete), (6) Michael Nair; (12) Chris Castelo; (13) Russell Powden
Additions to the 2011-2012 roster:
- Expected to play in the top 3: Ibrahim Bakir
- Expected to play in the middle 3: David Moxley
- Expected to play in the bottom 3: Rendy Mao and Kyle Webb
Team Goals: To reach the top 16, to send at least 3 to the Individual Championships in the A and B draws, and to increase the number of CSA Scholar Athletes
Key Matches: Bowdoin, Bates, Middlebury, and St. Lawrence
To read other team previews, please visit the 2011-2012 College Squash Season Previews page.
