Cambridge, MA — A strong incoming class will make Harvard dangerous this year.
Though the Crimson lost two players from last season’s top 3, they will gain two players who should fill in those holes as well as two others who are expected to play in the middle of the ladder. Ali Farag and Nick Hopcroft are both expected to play in the top three. Farag was runner-up in the 2010 World Juniors and the winner of the U19 British Junior Open, while Hopcroft is a top English junior and reached the semifinals of the 2011 European Junior Championships.
Julian Kirby, a top American junior player, is expected to play in the middle 3. He was the runner-up at the Scottish Junior Open and was a two-time Independent School League MVP. Tyler Olson is also expected to play in the middle of the order. Ranked fourth among Canadian juniors, Olson played number 1 for the Canadian junior team at the 2010 Pan-Am Games.
Harvard also has two new assistant coaches. Reg Schönborn, a three-time All-American at Trinity and the 2005 Skillman Award winner, was assistant coach at Trinity for five years. Luke Hammond, who played squash and lacrosse at Kenyon, comes to Harvard after three years with SquashBusters, Boston’s urban squash program.
2010-2011 SEASON RECAP
Season Record: 9-6
Final Ranking: 5
Team Championships: 5th in Potter Cup (A Division)
2011-2012 SEASON PREVIEW
Program Status: Varsity
Head Coach: Mike Way
Returning Players from Team Championships: (1) Gary Power (First Team All-American, All-Ivy League Team), (4) Brandon Mclaughlin,(5) Zeke Scherl, (6) Nigel Koh, (7) Thomas Mullaney, (8) Alexander Ma, (9) William Ahmed, Peter Machtiger, Charlie Cabot, Jason Michas, and Jay Brooks
Graduated/Non-returning players from 2010-2011 Team: (2) J. Reed Endresen, (3) Richard Hill
Additions to the 2011-2012 roster:
- Expected to play in the top 3: Ali Farag and Nick Hopcroft
- Expected to play in the middle 3: Julian Kirby and Tyler Olson
Captains: Will Ahmed and Jason Michas
Team Goals: To win the Ivy League and finish in the top 4
Key Matches: Almost all matches, especially against top-8 teams
To read other team previews, please visit the 2011-2012 College Squash Season Previews page.
