Middlebury, VT — Since the Middlebury men went varsity in the 2007-2008 season, they have pretty much owned the C Division. They have won the Summers Cup three times in the last five years, most recently last season. When they haven’t been dominating the C Division, they’ve been in the hunt for the B Division title, and that’s where they’d like to be again this season. Head coach John Illig rattles off a list of crucial matches. “Wesleyan, Bowdoin, Amherst, Bates, Brown,” he says. “They are key matches because all will be vying for B-flight.” The team is down two starters from last season, both from the top 3, but they will get four new players who should add depth the the roster: Andrew Cadienhead, Ben Krant, Wyatt French, and Henry Pearson. Once again the Panthers will do an overnight hike in the Adirondack Mountains, an annual tradition, and they will have the benefit of training in a brand new, $8.4 million dollar squash facility, which will feature nine courts, a squash fitness room, electronic scoreboards, three permanent video cameras, a ball machine, a viewing area, and a sound system. “We’ll be enjoying our new facility, and we’ll be honored to host teams here,” says Illig.
2012-2013 SEASON RECAP
Season Record: 15-8
Final Ranking: 17
Team Championships: 1st in the Summers Cup
2013-2014 SEASON PREVIEW
Program Status: Varsity
Head Coach: John Illig
Returning Players from Team Championships: 2. Parker Hurst (2014 – Second Team All-NESCAC; NESCAC All-Academic); 4. Will Moore (2014); 5. Andrew Jung (2016); 6. Robert Galluccio (2015); 7. Harrison Croll (2016); 8. Reed Palmer (2015 – NESCAC All-Academic); 9. Willy Clarke (2015); 10. Will Hanley (2015 – NESCAC All-Academic); 11. David Cromwell (2016)
Graduated/Non-Returning Players from 2012-2013 Team Championships: 1. Jay Dolan (2013 – First Team All-NESCAC; NESCAC All-Sportsmanship); 3. Spencer Hurst (2013 – Scholar Athlete; NESCAC All-Academic)
Additions to the 2013-2014 Roster:
- Expected to play in the middle 3: Andrew Cadienhead (Taft School); Ben Krant (Mt. Greylock Regional HS); Wyatt French (Loomis Chaffee School)
- Expected to play in the bottom 3: Henry Pearson (Rye High School)
Captains: Parker Hurst and Will Moore
Team Goals: Attempt to make it back into the B Division; top three finish at NESCAC tournament.
Key Matches: Amherst, Bates, Bowdoin, Brown, and Wesleyan
To read other team previews, please visit the 2013-2014 College Squash Season Previews page.
