Dartmouth Squash Teams Begin Season with Fall Classic

HANOVER, N.H. – The Dartmouth men's and women's squash teams begin the 2010-11 season by hosting its own Fall Classic with the men playing on Friday and both squads playing two matches on Saturday and one on Sunday.

On Friday the Big Green men kick off with a 5 p.m. match with Navy before taking on Stanford at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Later in the afternoon both squads will face Bowdoin at 5 p.m. and then Hamilton on Sunday at 11 a.m.

The Big Green men boast one of the best rosters since head coach Hansi Wiens took over the program two years ago. Despite graduating two starters last season, the overall strength of the program will continue to grow. Two freshmen, Christopher Jung (Seattle, Wash.) and Fletcher Pease (Cincinnati, Ohio) join the squad and are hoping to earn spots on the starting roster.

These two will be joined by sophomores Chris Hanson (Greenwich, Conn.), Alex Kurth (Tenafly, N.J.) and Robbie Maycock (Devonshire, Bermuda) who will continue to build on last year successes. The Class of 2012 will continue to be a tremendous force as Nick Sisodia (Chicago, Ill.), Brian O'Toole (Short Hills, N.J.), Stephen Wetherill (Ambler, Pa.) and Luke Lee (Exeter, N.H.) are all expected to start and lead the the way with their positive work ethic and competitive spirit.

The captains this season are Michael Lewis (Santa Barbara, Calif.) and Ted Schroeder (Wynnewood, Pa.) as each will be called upon to lead the young team with both players expected to be on the traveling squad. Walk-ons Peter Weinberg (Greenwich, Conn.), Jack Barrett (Riverside, Conn.) and Ben Gettinger (Wilton, Conn.) will round out the roster and strengthen the back end of the ladder.

Hanson and Sisodia will be counted on continue their All-American play from the 2009-10 season as each earned All-America status. Hanson's honor was the first time since Ryan Donegan in 2002 that a Dartmouth freshman has been named All-America. The Big Green has had just eight players previously given the award while two being named in a season is a first for the program.

The Big Green women finished last season with unbelievable results as Dartmouth won the Kurtz Cup and earned the final ranking of ninth nationally. The women proved stronger then their "B" draw placing as each woman won their matches in convincing fashion.

Even though Dartmouth has already improved on it's College Squash ranking during the preseason, Wiens expects the squad to continue to climb. The Big Green are looking to qualify for the main draw of the Howe Cup and finish top-eight this year.

This season will be a strong year for Dartmouth and despite losing Libbey Brown and Elizabeth Weintraub to graduation, the Big Green knows there are some gaps in the ladder that are looking to be filled by players such as Melina Turk (Winnipeg, Calif.), Kensy Balch (Edmonton, Calif.) and Katherine Nimmo (Wellesley, Mass.).

Seniors Hannah Conant (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Maura Doherty (Brooklyn, N.Y.) will guide the team through their work ethic, advice and experience. Dartmouth is fortunate to have a number of strong and motivated juniors like Julia Watson (Rocky Mount, N.C.), Allie Bradford (Larchmont, N.Y.), Caroline Lindseth (Princeton, N.J.) and Heather Binnie (Rye, N.H.). The four sophomores who will be building on last season's success are Corey Schafer (Natick, Mass.), Becky Lau (Toronto, Ont.), Sarah Loucks (Boston, Mass.) and Valeria Wiens (Hanover, N.H.) as each are expected to come out strong and give the team an experienced and reliable core.

Wiens, a first team All-Ivy and All-America player is looking to continue those successes and bring similiar honors to the 2010-11 women's squash program.

Schedules