Sports
Rebuilding squash squads start seasons at Harvard tournament
By Jane Bary ’19
November 13, 2015
After beginning practices last week, the Hamilton squash program is ready to kick off the winter sports season. Both the men’s and women’s squads feature a host of experienced players and some talented first-years, a combination of experience and versatility that should help the Continentals make deep runs in the conference championships and in the national tournament.
The women’s squash team compiled a 15-8 record last year, accumulating the second-highest number of wins in program history. The team finished sixth in the conference, after falling to Amherst in the NESCAC tournament and dropping a few tight matches. The Continentals will get another shot against Amherst early in 2016, and in the meantime face a host of conference foes including Tufts and Connecticut College who the team beat last year and Williams who came out on top of the Continentals in last season’s bout.
The team will also face off against a number of bigger schools early on, including Stanford, Virginia and local rival Colgate. Hamilton took down Virginia and Colgate last year and, with its sizable contingent of returning players, hopes for a repeat performance this winter.
“I am looking forward to coming together as a team both on and off the court,” said Rachel Newman ’16, a NESCAC All-Conference player last year. “I’m really looking forward to our home match against Middlebury this year.”
The Hamilton women fell to Middlebury in two contests last winter.
The men’s squad is in a rebuilding mode this season after six seniors graduated. Coach Jamie King, in his 16th year with the Continentals, expects new faces and returning players to step up and take on higher positions in the lineup. Two first years with the potential to make an immediate impact are Colin O’Dowd ’19 and Sumair Khanna ’19.
The men’s squad netted a 10-10 record last year and placed ninth in the NESCAC championships after losing a tough match to Bowdoin. The Continentals finished the season on a high note by winning the Conroy Cup, a national tournament held in the “D” Division, where they faced off against similarly ranked schools. The team also enjoyed conference wins against Tufts and Connecticut College.
This past week, the team members have been working hard on the court to prepare for the season ahead. Coach King is impressed with the initial workouts and has been emphasizing fitness and hitting drills.
“I’ve been very pleased with the team dynamic. They’re working hard and pushing each other. Right now, I’m just trying to get them in shape,” King said. “Some of them do varying levels of fitness in the fall but there’s nothing required. So we’re trying to get them started, beefing them up, because squash is a brutal game in terms of cardiovascular elements and the pounding that your body’s going to take, so we’re trying to get their bodies accustomed to that workload.”
In squash, nine players compete for a team during a match. Starters play games up to 11, in matches that are in best-of-five-game format. Sportsmanship plays a unique role since resting players, not professional officials, are responsible for refereeing matches.
“First and foremost, I want the players to be the fairest players possible and to respect their opponents and the opposing team that we play,” King said. “It’s pretty important because the way you behave on the court says a lot about who you are and people will remember the behavior a lot longer than they’ll remember the result.”
Both squads will first hit the court on Nov. 21 for an invitational at Harvard. The first home match is on Dec. 5 against Middlebury for the men and women.