Granville, OH — Denison was once a top ten team, regularly competing in the A and B Divisions. The program has had some lean years recently, but things are looking up, and the team is now aiming for the top 24. “Our goal is to eventually return to the glory days and we believe we are on our way,” says coach Walt Thieman. The 2013-2014 edition of the Big Red will feature four new freshmen. Ariel Cohen of Cincinnati and Fernando Magna of El Salvador are expected to play in the top three, and Luke Friedman of Buffalo and Drew Lavine of California by way of Loomis Chaffee are both expected to play in the middle three. The team has a number of plans for the season. “We will be going to the Cincinnati Country Club to hit will Nathan Dugan and play with some of their members,” explains Thieman. “We are also having a scrimmage with students from the Cleveland Urban Squash program. Max Laverty, who is a Denison graduate, is bringing them down in October.” Denison will be hosting a Silver Junior tournament after Thanksgiving, and following the winter break, they will be meeting on the East Coast to train and compete before heading west. “Our team seems to have fun playing together and have become friends both on and off the court,” says Thieman.
2012-2013 SEASON RECAP
Season Record: 5-7
Final Ranking: 35
Team Championships: 3rd in the Chaffee Cup
2013-2014 SEASON PREVIEW
Program Status: Club
Head Coach: Walt Thieman
Returning Players from Team Championships: 1. Andrew Krayacich (2016); 2. Martin Prentice (December 2013); 3. Matthew Krayacich (2016 – away first semester); 4. Marshall Crane (2015); 5. Drew Barnes (2014); 6. Neill Peck (2014); 7. Ben Whitman (2014); 8. Ben Wortham (2016); 10. Steven Birch-Araya (2016); 11. Ben Cole (2016)
Graduated/Non-Returning Players from 2012-2013 Team Championships: 9. Oliver Fowler (2013); 11. Kevin Sacherman (2013)
Additions to the 2013-2014 Roster:
- Expected to play in the top 3: Ariel Cohen (Cincinnati) and Fernando Magna (El Salvador)
- Expected to play in the middle 3: Drew Lavine (Loomis Chaffee) and Luke Friedman (Buffalo)
Captains: Andrew Barnes and Neill Peck
Team Goals: Top-24
Key Matches: Navy, Penn, and Bucknell
To read other team previews, please visit the 2013-2014 College Squash Season Previews page.
