New York, NY — Columbia is ready. Ready to step into the top division, the Potter Cup, at Team Championships. Ready to compete for the Ivy League title. Columbia is ready to make a statement this season. With the Lions’ returning line-up and the addition of five talented freshmen, it is hard to argue with Columbia’s goals. Tri-captain Ramit Tandon, who is known for his sportsmanship, is poised to shine in his senior campaign. After reaching the Pool Trophy final as a freshman, Tandon wants one more shot to win the elusive title. The Lions will volunteer once again at StreetSquash, one of New York’s NUSEA programs, both on and off the courts. According to assistant coach Joanne Schickerling, “This will be the most challenging schedule in program history, with quality opponents and a high percentage of away matches.” This year could mark the beginning of a new player in the hunt for the national and Ivy League titles.
2013-2014 SEASON RECAP
Season Record: 8-7
Final Ranking: 10
Team Championships: 2nd in the Hoehn Cup
By the Numbers (From US Squash): 5-4 Matches Won: 1 of 4 … Position with the Most Wins: #1s had 14 Wins
2014-2015 SEASON PREVIEW
Program Status: Varsity
Head Coach: Jacques Swanepoel
Returning Players from Team Championships: 1. Ramit Tandon (2015 – CSA First Team All-American, All-Ivy League Team); 2. Rishi Tandon (2017 – CSA Second Team All-American); 3. Mohamed AbdelMaksoud (2015); 4. Joshua Sekhar (2017); 5. Daniel Saleem (2015); 6. Jonathan Gill (2017); 8. Tarun Nambiar (2015); 9. Alex Nalle (2015); 11. Richard Soper (2017)
Graduated/Non-Returning Players from Team Championships: 7. Alec Goldberg (2014 – CSA Scholar Athlete); 10. Andrew Tan (2014 – CSA Scholar Athlete);
Additions to the 2014-2015 Roster:
- Seif Attia (Cairo, Egpyt)
- Osama Khalifa (Cairo, Egpyt)
- Arhum Saleem (Alpharetta, GA)
- Garrett Donnelly (Atlanta, GA)
- Oliver Agger (Brooklyn, NY)
Captains: Ramit Tandon, Alex Nalle, and Mohammed AbdelMaksoud
Team Goals: To have the best record in program history and compete for the Ivy League and national titles
Key Matches: Any team in the top 16
To read other team previews, please visit the 2014-2015 College Squash Season Previews page.
Medford, MA — After finishing third in the Chaffee Cup (E Division), Tufts is looking to utilize last season’s experiences and move up in the rankings. The Jumbos are focused on NESCAC matches, as well as contests with Stanford, MIT, Boston College, Northeastern, Bucknell, Haverford, and Fordham. According to head coach Joe McManus, these matches “will give an early indication as to how the season will unfold.” The team is returning 8 players from last season’s Team Championship line-up, including 3rd year captain Zachary Schweitzer. Last season, Tufts’ victories came at the top of the ladder. The top 3 won 59% of their matches, while the middle and bottom 3 captured 29% and 13%, respectively. This season’s ladder should be deeper. Three new players are expected to compete for positions throughout the top 9. This should be a great benefit for the Jumbos and help them improve.
Hamilton, NY — On the Colgate campus, there is a lot of interest in the squash team. After all, the squad finished last season as the runners up in the E Division at Team Championships and concluded the year as the 34th-ranked team in the nation. So it is no surprise that the team has 24 players interested in joining the team. After losing two players from Team Championships to graduation and having three other players abroad during parts of the upcoming season, new team members will be crucial for Colgate. According to Head Coach Ben Oliver, “This year, our goals are to continue to build on that momentum, play a full and competitive season, and to return to Nationals with the goal of winning the E Division.” The team will focus on matches with Haverford, last season’s E Division winners, and Northeastern. For Colgate to accomplish their goals, incorporating new players into the line-up will be key.
Berkeley, CA — California Berkeley is in the midst of rebuilding. Last season was the first year of that endeavor. The team went to the Team Championships shorthanded and finished 10th out of 11 teams in the E Division. This season, the Bears are looking to improve. According to team co-captain Yan Liu, “This season, we plan to recreate and rebuild a concrete team that is more determined to complete competitively while being a close-knit team that can rely on each other.” For California to improve in the rankings, they need to play more matches against a variety of teams. With two players from last season’s Team Championships expected to be in this year’s starting 9, the Bears will be challenged. The team has five incoming players that will hopefully step up and fill the vacancies.
Washington, DC — Georgetown finished last season ranked 29th and ranked 3rd amongst club teams. To improve on last season, the Hoyas will need more wins from the top of their ladder. Last year, the squad’s top 3 captured 33% of matches, while the middle 3 and bottom 3 captured 62% and 70%, respectively. Georgetown will need to replace two graduates from last season, but the team expects seven players to join the squad. According to co-captain Kirsten Craddock, the Hoyas’ “goal is to build a deep team which incorporates our new talent as well as our returning players.” The team is focused on matches with Virginia and Johns Hopkins, two crucial opponents if Georgetown wants to ascend the rankings. As in past seasons, the team will be supporting Squash Diabetes, a charity started by a Georgetown players that invests in research to make artificial pancreas cell treatments a reality for diabetics. The Hoyas need to play more matches against a variety of opponents to truly blossom this season.
Minneapolis, MN — Only a few seasons after their launch, the Minnesota Gophers are continuing to improve. They made it to the E Division at Team Championships, the first time they competed in a nine player division at nationals. The team’s efforts to move up the rankings was stifled by their regular season schedule last year. This season, the Gophers are more focused on the regular season. They have hired Dave Baker as their new head coach. In addition, they are planning a regular season trip to Boston to compete with teams at Northeastern. Paige Carlson, a senior, is the first player to compete for Minnesota all four years of its existence. Assistant coach John Stevers explains that she “has practiced and played all four years without interruption, despite a heavy academic load, being a marching band member, and participating in several other activities. She has led the team as co-captain last year and this.” With a stronger regular season schedule against many different opponents, Minnesota could move into a mid-30s ranking position.
Nashville, TN — Vanderbilt played in the inaugural H Division at the 2013 – 2014 Team Championships. The Commodores finished as the runner-up in that division and with a ranking of 57th for the season. This season, Vanderbilt has to replace three graduates. Fortunately, the Commodores have thirteen players interested in joining the team. This includes Matt Robinson, who is returning to the team after taking a year off to pursue his music career. Robinson is expected to play #1 for Vanderbilt. The team is looking forward to matches with Notre Dame and Sewanee. According to co-captain O’Neill Dewey, the team is attempting to “get more matches in against new schools throughout the season.” Vanderbilt needs to replace its graduates and play additional schools to have the opportunity to win their division at Team Championships.
Eugene, OR — After a quiet 2013 – 2014 campaign, the University of Oregon is trying to firmly establish an emerging club program this season. The team has dedicated players, including co-captains Gordon Reed and Chris Cramer. According to Reed, “We are looking to further establish our program with regards to the CSA/US Squash community, our West Coast rival teams, and our own University of Oregon administration. We are looking to close the gap between teams like Stanford and Washington and hopefully seize opportunities in order to win close matches against teams like Cal and USC.” The Ducks are looking forward to the West Coast round robin to showcase their improvement. “We are an exciting, rapidly expanding program full of players that have not forgotten how to just go out on the court and have some fun playing the sport they love,” states Reed.