Medford, MA — Tufts has been in the midst of a rebuilding cycle, and thanks to turnover, the team has had to start each of the past two season with a drastically different line-up.
Tufts can expect more stability moving forward. Although the Jumbos have lost three of their top four players from last year, this year’s squad will primarily consist of freshmen and sophomores.
Six first-year players have joined the team. Alex Nalle (Germantown Friends), Zach Schweitzer (Chestnut Hill Academy), and Gordon Silverman (Phoenix Country Day) are expected to play in the top six. Joe Marks (Belmont Hill), Hugo Meggitt (Princeton Day), and Elliot Kardon (Weston) will be battling with several returners for places in the starting line-up.
“The team expects again to be in a rebuilding phase but with a team two years younger than last year,” reports head coach Doug Eng. “The team’s main goal is to keep improving and break back into the Summers Division at Nationals.”
2010-2011 SEASON RECAP
Season Record: 9-16
Final Ranking: 27
Team Championships: 3rd in Conroy Cup (D Division)
2011-2012 SEASON PREVIEW
Program Status: Varsity
Head Coach: Doug Eng
Returning Players from Team Championships: (3) Hank Miller (NESCAC All-Sportsmanship Team), (5) Michael Abboud, (6) Jeremy Ho, (7) Tesfa Hailu, (8) Andrew Meleney, (9) Ben Briggs, (10) Luke Metcalf, (11) Edward Wronsky, Eli Borek, Chris Stoj
Graduated/Non-returning players from 2010-2011 Team: (1) Alex Gross (First Team All-NESCAC), (2) Ben Rind, (4) Andrew Kim
Additions to the 2011-2012 roster:
- Expected to play in the top 6: Alex Nalle, Zach Schweitzer, and Gordon Silverman
- Expected to compete for spots in the bottom 3: Joe Marks, Hugo Meggitt, and Elliot Kardon
Captain: Henry Miller
Team Goals: To keep improving and to break into the C Division
To read other team previews, please visit the 2011-2012 College Squash Season Previews page.
New London, CT — Connecticut College’s trip to the Conroy Cup finals at the 2010-2011 Men’s National Team Championships was relatively uneventful. The top-seeded Camels defeated Northwestern 7-2 in the first round of D Division play and then swept Tufts in the semi-finals.
Lewisburg, PA — Bucknell squash has made significant gains since the program was started three years ago, climbing from 55th in the nation during their first season to 42nd last year. In 2011-2012 the Bison had a win over Vassar, a varsity program, as well as a near win over Johns Hopkins, who finished the season ranked 38th. To top it all off, the Bison defeated Boston University 5-4 to win the Serues Cup (F Division).
Washington, DC — George Washington has moved up spots in the national rankings in each of the past five seasons. The Colonials have climbed from 30th in 2007 to 18th last year, and now the Summers Cup finalists are aiming for the B Division and the top 16.
Poughkeepsie, NY — After making it to the C Division finals the year before, Vassar finished last season ranked 22nd overall. It was the first time since 2001 that the Brewers ended a season outside the top 20.
Annandale-on-Hudson, NY — There’s good news coming out of New York: Bard is building four new international courts this fall. The Raptors have also joined the Liberty League, and former Penn head men’s coach Craig Thorpe-Clark will be back to help the team on a consulting basis.
Hanover, NH — Dartmouth will travel to Ithaca in early February to take on Ivy rival Cornell, a crucial match if the Big Green hope to move into the top 6. As part of their preparation, the team will travel to Mexico in January with the women’s team for a training trip.