Amherst men’s squash team entered the NESCAC Tournament as the fifth seed and began play with an 8 a.m. opening-round match against the Bowdoin College Polar Bears. A 7-2 loss to the fourth seed, with the sole victories coming from senior Mark Rapisarda and first-year Kevin Cecala, dropped the Jeffs into the consolation bracket, where they found much greater success.
Amherst handled its second opponent with relative ease, as the team found success up and down the lineup in an 8-1 win against eighth-seeded Middlebury College. The sound win gave the team a huge confidence boost. “We played Middlebury in the beginning of January and only won 5-4,” said junior Jerome Giovinazzo. “After losing to Bowdoin on Saturday morning, thrashing Middlebury as thoroughly as we did was an enormous boost for our confidence.”
The breakthrough defeat of Middlebury was followed by an exhausting 8:45 a.m. battle against Tufts University, which was playing as the sixth seed—a victory that could prove to be the defining moment of Amherst’s season. “Our 5-4 victory over Tufts was hard-fought with five matches going to five games.
Saahil Sud ’10, Tom Rapisarda ’11 and Drew Blacker ’09 all won their five game matches, showing great endurance,” said a very pleased Giovinazzo. “Saahil and Drew both lost their first two games, but won the next three in their respective matches. Saahil, competing against an old high school rival, played his best squash of the year. He heard the roar of the crowds after winning his fifth and final game in a tiebreaker. Our weekend was a success, and I was extremely proud of the whole team.”
In the week leading up to the tournament, the Jeffs utilized a unique technique to prepare for the early morning games. Head Coach Peter Robson had the team wake up at 6 a.m. every day to acclimate their bodies to the early start times they faced in the tournament. A proud Giovinazzo explained the effects of the tactic. “This early training regimen gave us an edge over the Tufts squash team in our final match. Although Tufts made a valiant effort, their sleepy bodies couldn’t hold up against a well-trained Amherst squad.”
Coaches and players alike were very pleased with the outcome of the tournament. “Ben Bishop ’09 regained his ‘Samson’ self and was unbeatable,” Robson said, as he began to list all the players that deserved credit. “Overall, it was a good weekend for Amherst men’s squash.”
The 2-1 record that the Jeffs earned at Trinity pushed their season mark up to 8-8 and gives the team reason to be excited as they look to what lies ahead. With Little Threes and the CSA National Tournament scheduled for the next few weeks, the determined men’s squash team looks to finish the season with a bang. A good showing in each would propel Amherst to a record above .500. Additionally, the team is looking forward to the prospect of getting a second chance at a few teams that handed the Jeffs a loss earlier in the year. Said Giovinazzo, “We look forward to avenging our losses to Franklin & Marshall [College] and Brown [University] at the CSA nationals in two weeks.”