South Bend, IN — The biggest change to Notre Dame’s program is at the top: former coach Geoff McCuen has moved on from South Bend after ten years with the team. The Fighting Irish are hoping to show their former coach what they’ve learned from him when they take on in-state rival Purdue, a team he’s currently working with. Other key matches for Notre Dame will be USC and Northwestern. Co-captain Vince Vangaever is optimistic about the coming season: “Two of our top players are returning from absences last year and should be strong additions to the program. The freshman class has strong potential, and co-captain Philip Rooney and I have big plans to compete at the national level.” Vangaever singles out the contributions of former president, captain, and returning number one seed, Mike DeSantis: “Mike has served as an inspiration to many young aspiring Notre Dame squash players. As he is now a senior we are expecting even more from him as he performs at the highest level.”
2014-2015 SEASON RECAP
Season Record: 4-11
Final Ranking: 60
Team Championships: 4th in the H Division
By the Numbers (From US Squash): 5-4 Matches Won: 1 of 1… Top 3 Win %: 0.2… Middle 3 Win %: 0.1818… Lower 3 Win %: 0.1471
2015-2016 SEASON PREVIEW
Program Status: Emerging Club
Head Coach: Vince Vangaever and Phil Rooney
Returning Players from Team Championships: 1. Hugh Phelan (2016); 3. Vince Vangaever (2017); 4. Reilly Bench (2016); 6. Philip Rooney (2017); 7. Kevin Mickan (2018); 8. Adam Soisson (2016); 9. Owen Phelan (2018)
Graduated/Non-Returning Players from 2014-2015 Team Championships: 2. MIchael O’Neill (2015); 5. Rex Shannon (2017)
Additions to the 2015-2016 Roster:
- Expected to play in the top 3: Michael DeSantis
- Expected to play in the middle 3: Matt McCormick
Captains: Vincent Vangaever and Philip Rooney
Team Goals: Place within the top 50
Key Matches: Northwestern, Purdue, USC
To read other team previews, please visit the 2015-2016 College Squash Season Previews page.
