Cambridge, MA — Harvard, the defending national team champions, recognize that last year’s graduating class was special. According to assistant coach Hameed Ahmed, “It’s not easy to recover after graduating four players out of your top nine – including perhaps the best player in the history of women’s college squash. However, we’ve got a strong a base, and we’re bringing in a talented first-year class.” The Crimson are expecting three first-year players to join the squad and compete for positions in each third of the line-up. Two of the incoming players have siblings in the Harvard women’s squash family. If Harvard wants its fifth national championship in the past seven years, the Crimson will need to perform well against the likes of Trinity, Penn, Princeton, and Yale, teams immediately behind Harvard in the final rankings of last season. There is no question that Harvard will be in the Howe Cup this season; the question is simply how they will replace their graduates and if they can earn the school’s sixteenth national title.
2014-2015 SEASON RECAP
Season Record: 14-1
Final Ranking: 1
Team Championships: 1st in the Howe Cup (A Division)
By the Numbers (From US Squash): 5-4 Matches Won: 1 of 2… Top 3 Win %: 0.8222… Middle 3 Win %: 0.9556… Lower 3 Win %: 0.8889
2015-2016 SEASON PREVIEW
Program Status: Varsity
Head Coach: Mike Way (Ivy League Coach of the Year)
Returning Players from Team Championships: 2. Katie Tutrone (2017 – All-Ivy League Team); 3. Alyssa Mehta (2018 – CSA Second Team All-American); 4. Michelle Gemmell (2016 – CSA Second Team All-American, CSA Scholar Athlete); 5. Sue Ann Yong (2018); 6. Saumya Karki (2016); 7. Dileas Macgowan (2017); 10. Isabelle Dowling (2016 – CSA Scholar Athlete); 11. Caroline Monrad (2017)
Graduated/Non-Returning Players from 2014-2015 Team Championships: 1. Amanda Sobhy (2015 – CSA Richey Award, CSA Ramsay Cup Champion, All-Ivy League Team, CSA First Team All-American, Ivy League Player of the Year); 8. Julianne Chu (2015); 9. Megan Murray (2015); Haley Mendez (2015 – CSA Scholar Athlete); Julie Monrad (2015)
Additions to the 2015-2016 Roster:
- Expected to play in the top 3: Sabrina Sobhy
- Expected to play in the middle 3: Kayley Leonard
- Expected to play in the bottom 3: Sophie Mehta
Captains: Saumya Karki and Izzy Dowling
Team Goals: Ivy League Championship and National Championship
Key Matches: Trinity, Penn, Princeton, and Yale
To read other team previews, please visit the 2015-2016 College Squash Season Previews page.
