Annapolis, MD — The United States Naval Academy plays one of the busiest schedules in college squash. Last season, the Midshipmen played 34 matches, finishing with a 26-8 record.
Not surprisingly, one of the team’s goals is to stay fit to play competitive squash throughout the season. Last year, the Midshipmen had three tough matches at the Men’s National Team Championships: a 4-5 loss to F&M (improving on a 3-6 loss to the Diplomats the week before), and 6-3 wins over both St. Lawrence and Bowdoin. The majority of individual matches went beyond three games or had games going into extra points, so fitness and endurance were instrumental in the Midshipmen’s success.
The 2010-2011 Navy squad will need to draw on that work ethic as the three seniors who graduated (among them Nils Mattsson, a 2009-2010 All-American) played in the top four. Joining the varsity roster will be sophomore Clayton Young, who played junior varsity last season and should compete for a spot near the bottom of the ladder; first-year player Hunter Beck, a William Penn grad who was ranked as high as 17th U19 and should play in the Midshipmen’s top 3; and Emile Toscano, who played number 2 for Mercersburg and should play in the middle of the ladder at Navy.
Over the summer, all of the players participated in the Naval Academy’s summer training. According to coach Craig Dawson, that training ranged from Marines Corps Leatherneck to survival training on the Olympic Penisula, sailing Naval Academy training craft along the East Coast, training the new Plebe Class, and flying in helicopters and jet fighters off of aircraft carriers.
The Navy courts were busy over the summer as well. The Navy team has been involved with the Baltimore-based SquashWise urban squash enrichment program, and seven players from SquashWise, SquashSmarts, Street Squash and City Squash attended the Navy Squash Camp.
Looking ahead, the team is planning a training trip to San Fransisco in January, and plans are in development to build a doubles court at Navy.
2009-2010 SEASON RECAP
Season Record: 26-8
Final Ranking: 13
Team Championships: 13th Overall; 5th in Hoehn Cup (“B” Division)
2010-2011 SEASON PREVIEW
Program Status: Varsity
Head Coach: Craig Dawson
Returning Players from Team Championships: Billy Abrams (6); Hunter Bouchard (7); David Koenig (8); Allan Lutz (2); John Richey (9); Brad Seidel (5); John Tracey (10)
Graduates on Last Season’s Team Championships Roster: Justin Langan (4); Ben Mantica (3); Nils Mattsson (1; 2nd Team All-American; 2009-2010 Captain)
Additions to the 2010-2011 Roster:
- Expected to play in the top 3: Hunter Beck
- Expected to play in the middle 3: Emile Toscano
- Expected to play in the bottom 3: Clayton Young
Captain: Brad Seidel
Team Goals: Work to stay fit and play competitive squash in order to move up in the rankings
To read other team previews, please visit the 2010 – 2011 College Squash Preview Page.
Stanford, CA — As women’s college squash continues to grow, new teams are joining the ranks every year. Several new varsity programs have been launched in the last decade, and Stanford sets the gold standard for new teams. The Cardinal finished dead last in their first year of competitive play; eight seasons later, they finished 6th in the nation, a record-high finish for the program.
Hamilton, NY — Colgate has quietly become one of the top five club teams in the nation. The Raiders had their best season ever in 2009-2010, finishing 30th overall at the Men’s National Team Championships.
New Haven, CT — Dissatisfied with their performance the year before, a Yale squad comes out with all cylinders firing, wins the Ivy crown, and makes it to the finals of the national team championships.
Evanston, IL — Over the past few years, the Northwestern Wildcats have become a fixture in the Conroy Cup, usually finishing near the top of the “D” Division. They finished 28th in the nation last season, concluding the year with a winning record. Will this be the season the Wildcats crack the top 25?
Poughkeepsie, NY — Vassar had a championship trifecta within reach last season: the Brewers won their second consecutive Liberty League crown and made it to the Seven Sisters and Walker Cup finals. Because there are currently only three varsity women’s teams competing in the Liberty League, there will be a round robin rather than a championship event this year. However, the Seven Sisters and Walker Cup championships are still up for grabs, and the Brewers have their sights on both.
Lewisburg, PA — The Bucknell Bison have been making steady progress as they establish themselves as a club team.
Washington, DC — Georgetown started their 2009-2010 season with a bang. The club team, which is only a few years old, upset George Washington 5-4. GWU is a varsity program and had been ranked 15th in the nation before the season began; Georgetown came into the season ranked 28th.
Baltimore, MD — The squash program at Johns Hopkins is starting to take off. Last winter, the Blue Jays sent teams to compete in both the men’s and women’s Emerging Teams Divisions at nationals for the first time.