London, Ontario — Western Ontario won the Conroy Cup (D Division) at the 2016 Men’s College Squash Association National Team Championships. The Mustangs want to return to the Hoehn Cup (B Division). According to head coach Derek Moore, Western Ontario wants “to be a strong competing team in B Division. A healthy recruitment year has set our sights high for a jump in rankings this season.” A “healthy” recruiting year may be an understatement with the Mustangs adding seven players, many highly ranked Canadian juniors, who are expected to compete for positions in a starting nine that returns seven players from last season’s Team Championships. Moore adds that the team is “a young vibrant group of men that are ready to be a cohesive unit for the next 3-4 years. 17 players on our team are freshman or junior players.” Western will be hosting a number of home matches this season. Williams, Cornell, Navy, and Franklin & Marshall will all be visiting Canada to play the Mustangs. Don’t be surprised if Western Ontario makes it to the Hoehn Cup this season.
2015-2016 SEASON RECAP
Season Record: 6-7
Final Ranking: 25
Team Championships: 1st in the Conroy Cup (D Division)
By the Numbers (From US Squash): 5-4 Matches Won: 1 of 1… Top 3 Win%: .385… Middle 3 Win%: .385… Lower 3 Win%: .564…
2016-2017 SEASON PREVIEW
Program Status: Varsity
Head Coach: Derek Moore
Returning Players from Team Championships: 1. Nick Guest (2017); 2. Stefan Houbtchev (2019); 3. Farzin Habib-Pour (2019); 4. Bryan Hill (2019); 5. Pierce Masuhara (2018); 7. Rayaan Kurji (2019); 9. Jonathan Wallace (2019); 10. Richard Johansen (2019);
Graduated/Non-Returning Players from Team Championships: 6. Alex Seto (2018); 8. Krish Rana (2016); 11. Skyler MacGowan (2016); Rob Stevens (2016);
Additions to the 2016-2017 Roster:
- Expected to play in the top 3: Matthew Henderson; David Mill
- Expected to play in the middle 3: Gavin Maxwell; James Robinson; Husam Hamour; Adam Van Wyngaarden
- Expected to play in the bottom 3: Alie Kargbo
- Other addition: Duncan Mckillop; Matt Armstrong; Liam Knapp; Milo Macrae; Connor Gale
Captains: Pierce Masuhara, Nick Guest, and Stefan Houbtchev
Team Goals: To make the Hoehn Cup
Key Matches: Williams, Cornell, Navy, and Franklin & Marshall
To read other team previews, please visit the 2016-2017 College Squash Season Previews page.