Brunswick, ME — Bowdoin finished just inside the top 20 last season. The team went 13-14 on the year and came in third in the C Division. They defeated Connecticut College 6-3 in the first round of the Men’s National Team Championships, narrowly lost to eventual division champions George Washington in the semifinals, and rebounded with an 8-1 win over Hamilton to close out the year. The team’s goal for the upcoming season is simple: to improve. Two players from last year’s squad graduated, and three players are joining the team. Matt Cooper of Lower Merion High School is expected to play in the middle 3, and so is Alex Reisley, a graduate of William Penn. Andrew Linn of Belmont Hill will probably compete for a spot in the bottom of the order. Andrew Hilboldt and Stephan Danyluk will serve as the Polar Bears’ co-captains. Head coach Tomas Fortson highlights the team’s cohesion and camaraderie. “We like each other,” he says simply.
2011-2012 SEASON RECAP
Season Record: 13-14
Final Ranking: 19
Team Championships: 3rd in the Summers Cup (C Division)
2012-2013 SEASON PREVIEW
Program Status: Varsity
Head Coach: Tomas Fortson
Returning Players from Team Championships: 2. Stephan Danyluk; 3. Andrew Hilboldt (2nd Team All-NESCAC); 4. Will Fantini; 5. Reid Wilson; 6. Andrew Ward; 7. Will Winmill (NESCAC All-Academic); 9. Max Bearse; 10. Clint Trenkelbach (NESCAC All-Academic); 11. Miko Lim (NESCAC All-Academic)
Graduated/Non-Returning Players from 2011-2012 Team Championships: 1. Barrett Takesian (2nd Team All-NESCAC); 8. Andrew Sprague
Additions to the 2012-2013 Roster:
- Expected to play in the middle 3: Matt Cooper and Alex Reisley
- Expected to play in the bottom 3: Andrew Linn
Captains: Andrew Hilboldt and Stephan Danyluk
Team Goals: To improve
Key Matches: Every match
To read other team previews, please visit the 2012-2013 College Squash Season Previews page.
Rochester, NY — The Rochester Yellowjackets are A Division upstarts no more. The team’s to-the-wire 5-4 win over Yale on the last day of team championships proved they have no intention of going anywhere. But holding ground won’t be easy. The landscape of the highest division in men’s college squash has changed since the Yellowjackets broke into the A’s several years ago. Last season a much-improved Harvard squad bounced Rochester from the first round of the national team championships, while surging Cornell made it into the semis. The Yellowjackets’ roster is heavy on seniors and first-year players, and both groups will have to step up to make it back into the A Division semifinals. Head coach Martin Heath has an eye toward the future, saying, “It’s a rebuilding year and we’re looking for great US and Canadian student-athletes for 2013-14.” In the interim, the Rochester players can look forward to the team’s annual trip to Toronto and a trip to the Tournament of Champions in New York City.
Berkeley, CA — Cal’s program is on the up and up. The Golden Bears finished second in the 2012 Women’s College Squash Association National Team Championships’ Emerging Teams Division. This season, they are looking to build on that success. They have five additions with squash experience, including two exchange students from the United Kingdom. Cal plans to travel to the East Coast to gain valuable experience with established programs. After flooding last season, the team’s exhibition court was recently renovated. Being in the San Francisco area, the Golden Bears are able to leverage the great local squash community. By the end of the season, Cal hopes to move into one of the nine player divisions at team championships.
Washington, DC — After winning the C Division last season, the George Washington Colonials aren’t looking back. They did lose three players from the middle of the order to graduation, but with the strongest recruiting class in program history, they should come back even stronger. Headlining the new class is Colombia’s Anna Porras, who is expected to step into the ladder at number 1. Emely Levyn of Philadelphia is expected to join Porras in the top 3, and fellow Philadelphian Alexa Tzarnas and Sarah Allen of New York should compete for spots in the middle of the lineup. Rounding out the newcomers is Francesca Libassi of Greenwich, CT, who is expected to play in the bottom 3. Jake Gross has rejoined the program as an assistant coach, and 
St. Louis, MO — Washington University in St. Louis topped an impressive debut season in 2011 with solid improvement in 2012. The Bears came home from their first trip to the Men’s National Team Championships with the 2011 G Division title. Last season, they rocketed up the rankings, improving from 50th to 37th. Wash U is now pointed at the D Division and the top 32, and they have six additions to the roster who should help take them there. Sheldon Pariser and Stirling Hedderich are returning from study abroad and are expected to play in the top 5. First-year Mark Temple (Rye Country Day) should also play in the top half of the line-up. Lyall Cooper (Menlo School) will fit in somewhere in the middle of the order, and Trevor Newman (Wakefield School) and Brendan Sturm (Packer Collegiate) will compete for spots in the top 9. In addition to the new players, the team has two newly converted courts to train on and a new coach, Mike Puertas. Captain Luke Shapiro, who has been instrumental in launching the team, encourages new players to check out WashU squash: “This year marks the transition to a real competitive team. Our program is changing rapidly. If you want to be a part of WU history, our team is the team to join.”
Stanford, CA — Stanford was the top club team in the nation last season and the only club program to compete in the C Division. The Cardinal will look to stay in the Summers Cup this season and should again be in the running for top club honors. The team broke even with graduates and additions to the ladder. Three players from the middle of the order have moved on, but Will MacFarlane and Vihan Khanna are joining a team head coach Mark Talbott describes as a “great bunch of very bright, friendly guys.” MacFarlane is expected to play in the middle 3, and Khanna is expected to play in the bottom 3. Miles Bennett, who played number 4 for the Cardinal in 2009-2010, will be back with the team after time away from campus. Bennett will likely play somewhere in the middle of the order. The team will continue to be involved with a local urban education program, and the Stanford squash facility has received a $50,000 makeover. Stanford is hosting a round robin in January and one in February, so teams looking for a warm weather destination might keep the Cardinal in mind.
Los Angeles, CA — After a core group of seniors graduated two years ago, the Trojans had to focus on rebuilding. “The team was rebuilt around many incoming freshmen, who performed beyond expectations in the Western Conference Championships at Stanford and the Nationals in Philadelphia,” explains captain Manhar Bajaj. USC’s rebuilding process will continue this season, and the Trojans have a number of additions who will add strength and depth to the team. Ashish Lohra, who played for his college team in India, is expected to play in the top 3, as is senior Hannah Godfredson, who is returning from a semester abroad. Junior Jae Ho Lo will find a spot in the middle or bottom 3, and Jaynit Raheja, Jayvir Chadha, and Rishabh Shah, who all hail from India, will be competing for spots in the bottom 3 as well. A number of first-year players have expressed interest in the team, reflecting a growing interest in squash at USC. Bajaj describes the team in glowing terms: “We’re a great bunch of people who are extremely passionate about squash. We love playing squash and enjoying ourselves as a team over practice and tournaments. Fight on!”
Amherst, MA — The Jeffs will open their 2012-2013 season with a home stand against Drexel and George Washington. Amherst hasn’t played Drexel before, but they have a history with GW: last season the Colonials upset the Jeffs 5-4 in the Walker Cup semifinals. GW went on to win the division, while Amherst closed out the season with a 9-0 win over Bowdoin, a team that had defeated them 6-3 earlier in the season. Amherst’s goal for this season is to improve upon their finish last year, and the match with GW will be a good early test. Amherst graduated only one player from last year’s top nine, and they’ll get a boost from the return of senior co-captain Anne Piper, who sat the end of last season with an injury. There will also be five new Jeffs in the line-up. They are Khushy Aggarwal (Dhirubbai Ambani International), Erika Robertson (Choate Rosemary Hall), Meyha Sud (Newark Academy), Taryn Clary (Rye Country Day), and Corri Johnson (Miami Valley School).