Cambridge, MA — The 2014 Men’s College Squash Association National Team Championships had great team and individual performances. In this special edition of the Harrow Sports College Squash Player of the Week, we recognize a player from each division of the tournament.
Potter Cup (A Division) – Brandon McLaughlin (Harvard University): McLaughlin, a senior co-captain, made the most of his final Potter Cup. During the first two rounds, he helped Harvard defeat both Penn and Franklin & Marshall with wins over Penn’s Liam Quinn (11-3, 11-5, and 11-4) and F&M’s Charles Cutler (11-8, 11-8, and 11-3). In the finals, he faced Trinity’s #2, Karan Malik. After being down 1-2, McLaughlin stormed back and won the match in five games (13-11, 8-11, 8-11, 11-2, and 12-10), clinching Harvard’s first national title since 1998.
Hoehn Cup (B Division) – Sam Ezratty (Princeton University): It appears from the Hoehn Cup that Ezratty, a sophomore, really likes five-game matches. He opened the tournament against Bates’ #7, Andy Cannon, and the two played a marathon, which Ezratty won (14-12, 4-11, 13-11, 8-11, and 11-8). Against Dartmouth’s James Fisch, he won a second five-game match (9-11, 11-9, 11-7, 2-11, and 11-9). In Princeton’s 5-4 Hoehn Cup final victory over Columbia, Ezratty came back from 1-2 against #6 Jonathan Gill (11-9, 6-11, 5-11, 11-5, and 11-8).
Summers Cup (C Division) – Robert Galluccio (Middlebury College): Galluccio, a junior, has made the most of the Summers Cup. Last year’s Player of the Summers Cup went 3-0 in the tournament, helping Middlebury capture their second consecutive Summers Cup. In the opening round against Hamilton, he defeated Walker Lourie (13-15, 11-4, 11-5, and 11-8) and then George Washington’s Will O’Donnell (11-7, 11-8, and 11-6) in the semifinal. In the finals against Brown’s #9 Charles Lebovitz, Galluccio won in five games (7-11, 10-12, 11-7, 12-10, and 12-10) to help Middlebury to the 5-4 victory.
Conroy Cup (D Division) – Randy Coplin (Connecticut College): Coplin, a sophomore, shined in the Conroy Cup, which was played in his hometown. Due to UVA’s last minute cancellation because of the blizzard in the Mid-Atlantic, Conn College played two matches. After a tight first game with Bucknell’s Cooper Mead, Coplin cruised to victory (12-10, 11-2, and 11-1). In the finals with Hobart, Coplin faced #8 Arthur Martella. After winning the first two games, Martella battled back. Coplin won the match in the fifth (11-6,13-11,10-12,8-11,11-7) and helped Conn College win the Conroy Cup, 6-3.
Chaffee Cup (E Division) – Kilbourn Gordon (Boston College): Boston College, the defending Chaffee Cup champions, faced stiff competition en route to the finals. Gordon, a senior, defeated Colgate’s #6, Rohan Mehta, in the opening round (8-11, 11-2, 11-3, and 11-7). In the semifinals with Denison, Gordon helped the Eagles advance with a five-game victory over Fernando Magana (9-11, 11-8, 6-11, 11-7, and 11-9). Boston College came just short of repeating, losing 4-5 to Northeastern in the finals.
Serues Cup (F Division) – Alexander Bolinsky (Washington University in St. Louis): Bolinsky helped the Bears win the Serues Cup. In the finals against Chicago, he faced #5 Seth August. After being down 0-2, Bolinsky won the final three games to capture the match (9-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-7, and 11-8). The Bears won the Serues Cup with a 6-3 victory over Chicago.
Hawthorn Cup (G Division) – Dmytro Bashchynskyy (Bryant University): Entering the tournament, 56th-ranked Bryant faced top seed Fordham in the opening round. At the #4 position, Bashchynskyy earned a 3-2 victory over Forham’s Alexander Laversa (11-8, 6-11, 11-8, 8-11, and 11-7) to assist the Bulldogs to advance, 5-4. He went undefeated in the final two rounds of the G Division as Bryant captured the Hawthorn Cup.
H Division – Matthew McCormick: In the H Division round robin, McCormick, Notre Dame’s #8, went 3-0. He opened the tournament with a four-game victory over Vanderbilt’s Chandler Semjen (11-1, 11-5, 4-11, and 11-4). Against Vanderbilt, he defeated William McElroy (11-5, 11-6, and 11-3). In the final match, McCormick’s five-game victory against Max Cowger (11-7, 6-11, 12-10, 5-11, and 11-6) helped the Fighting Irish win the H Division.
