Princeton, NJ — Columbia University won the 2015 Men’s College Squash Association Barnaby Award.
The award is named for Jack Barnaby, who coached the Harvard men for decades and later coached the Harvard women. Harvard struggled during the first few years of Barnaby’s tenure, but the Crimson ultimately became a national powerhouse under his leadership, winning national title after national title. By the time he retired from coaching the men’s team in 1976, Barnaby had compiled a 355-95 lifetime record. His team capped his final season with a national title, going undefeated.
First presented in 1983, the Barnaby Award recognizes the most improved team in men’s college squash. This season, voting for the Barnaby Award was conducted after Team Championships, which allowed schools to view Team Championship results prior to casting their vote.
Columbia concluded last season ranked 10th in the nation. With a talented roster of returning and new players, Columbia moved up the rankings this year. They began the season as the 6th-ranked squad in the preseason poll and moved as high as 3rd during the regular season. This marked the first time the Lions have played in the Potter Cup (A Division) of team championships. Columbia concluded the season ranked 4th, a six place improvement from the previous season.
The 2014-2015 Columbia team was led by head coach Jacques Swanepoel and captains Ramit Tandon, Alex Nalle, and Mohamed Abdel Maksoud.
This is the third time Columbia has won the Barnaby Award. The Lions previously won the Barnaby Award in the 2010 – 2011 and 2011 – 2012 seasons.
