Northampton, MA — For the week ending 11/20/2011, Nessrine Ariffin (Bates College) and Justin Curtis (Connecticut College) have been named the women’s and men’s [hpow].
A Harrow Sports College Squash Player of the Week should have a significant impact on his or her team’s performance during the prior week and demonstrate sportsmanship. Coaches and Sports Information Directors may nominate players by contacting Michael T. Bello. Nominations are due each Monday by 6 PM ET.
There were a number of deserving candidates this week, including Franklin & Marshall’s Guilherme De Melo, who defeated the #2s from Dartmouth and Princeton, each in four games. Another strong candidate was Nirasha Guruge, who played #1 for the Harvard women and led them to two season-opening victories over Stanford and Williams. Not to be outdone, Tufts first-year students Gordon Silverman and Hugo Meggitt each went 4-0 on the week. According to Tufts’ Doug Eng, Silvermann and Meggit “were quite mentally tough, not making errors. And they were the utmost in sportsmanship.”
This week, two NESCAC players earned the distinction of being the [hpow].
Nessrine Ariffin (Bates College): Ariffin, a first-year student, had quite the debut for Bates. She helped lead the 10th-ranked Bobcats to victories over Wesleyan, Conn, and 9th-ranked Brown. She was the sole victor for Bates in their match with Trinity. Down 0-2 to Catalina Pelaez, Ariffin battled back to capture the match in five games (8-11, 5-11, 11-9, 11-5, and 11-7).
Justin Curtis (Connecticut College): Curtis, a sophomore, helped the Camels go 4-0 with victories over Bates, Wesleyan, Northeastern, and MIT. These team victories included two 5-4 victories over higher ranked NESCAC opponents. According to Conn coach Chris O’Brien, Curtis “was the last Camel on the court in front of two packed houses.”
