Hartford, CT — After opening last season with a 4-5 loss to Stanford, Trinity was playing catch up for most of last season. The Bantams did recover, and after defeating Princeton in the Women’s College Squash Association National Team Championships, they concluded the season as the 3rd ranked team in the nation. Trinity continued its dominance in NESCAC play, winning their 10th NESCAC tournament crown. Trinity only graduated two players from the Howe Cup starting nine, but that included Kanzy El Defrawy, 2016 Richey Award winner and one of the most accomplished women in college squash history. To attempt to fill the void will be three first-year students. Head coach Wendy Bartlett, who is entering her 33rd year at the helm of the Bantams and was named the 2016 NESCAC Coach of the Year, expects that the “team will play as one unit and be there for each other.” Sophomore Jenny Haley made the most of her offseason by playing in the World Doubles Championship in Australia and appearing in the World University Games in Malaysia. Crucial to Trinity will be close matches. The team lost 4 of 5 5-4 matches last season. The Bantams will be led by co-captains Brice Rothenberg and Anna Kimberley. Kimberly, no stranger to clutch performances, will be focused on getting the Bantams off to a quicker start than last season and winning tight matches. If the lower 3rd of the ladder can increase their win percentage over last season, the Bantams could be a threat for the national title.
2015-2016 SEASON RECAP
Season Record: 13-5
Final Ranking: 3
Team Championships: 3rd in the Howe Cup (A Division)
By the Numbers (From US Squash): 5-4 Matches Won: 1 of 5… Top 3 Win%: .833… Middle 3 Win%: .815… Lower 3 Win%: .639…
2016-2017 SEASON PREVIEW
Program Status: Varsity
Head Coach: Wendy Bartlett (NESCAC Women’s Coach of the Year)
Returning Players from Team Championships: 2. Raneem Sharaf (2018 – NESCAC First-Team; Second Team All-American); 3. Julia Le Coq (2018 – NESCAC Second-Team; Second Team All-American); 4. Anna Kimberley (2017 – NESCAC Second-Team; NESCAC All-Sportsmanship); 5. Salma El Defrawy (2018 – NESCAC First-Team); 6. Jenny Haley (2019); 8. Alexia Echeverria (2017); 9. Karol Holinkova (2018);
Graduated/Non-Returning Players from Team Championships: 1. Kanzy El Defrawy (2016 – NESCAC First-Team; NESCAC Player of the Year; NESCAC All-Academic; First Team All-American; WCSA Richey Award; CSA Scholar Athlete); 7. Sachika Balvani (2016 – NESCAC All-Academic); 10. Katiria Sanchez (2016);
Additions to the 2016-2017 Roster:
- Expected to play in the top 6: Vanessa Raj (Penang, Malaysia) and Keesha Rarare (Queensland, Australia)
- Expected to play in the bottom 3: Salma Alam Eldin (Cairo, Egypt)
- Other addition: Ellie O’Callaghan (Rye High School)
Captains: Anna Kimberley and Brice Rothenberg
Team Goals: National championship
Key Matches: Harvard, Penn, Princeton, Yale, and Stanford
To read other team previews, please visit the 2016-2017 College Squash Season Previews page.
