Women
Head coach Peter Robson, who will be coaching both the men’s and women’s teams this year, will be guiding an experienced group of players who last year teetered on the cusp of breakout success in the women’s team.
The team’s five seniors should figure prominently in how the season unfolds, as they will comprise a significant chunk of the team’s regular ladder. Hayley Milbourn ’11, a second-team all-NESCAC selection from a season ago, will return to her number one spot, while her classmates, co-captains Mimi Bell and Allie Dalglish, will return to their respective eighth and second spots. Caitlin Demkin ’11, who played number seven last year, and Veronica Rose ’11 round out the senior class.
The Jeffs also expect big things from the middle of their order, where they had success last season. Chandler Lusardi ’13, who vaulted up the team’s ladder last season, will join Anne Piper ’13 and juniors Kate Savage and Anna Scheidt in the middle rungs. In addition, the team is expecting a bevy of returning players with one more year of experience to vie with two first-years for the remaining spots.
After last year’s encouraging results, the Jeffs start the season looking to break into the upper echelon of the CSA rankings. “Last year we finished 13th nationally and this year our goal is to break top-10 and potentially push to get the final seed in the Howe Cup “A” division,” Dalglish said. “[That] would mean finishing out the season in the top eight.”
With a stretch in January that includes 11 of 13 games played at home, the upstart Jeffs will certainly have their chance — an opportunity Dalglish was quick to reaffirm: “We’re going to have to work really hard and keep the momentum going to get to the spot where we want to be but I am fully confident that this is the team to do it.”
Men
Fresh off a solid season last year, and replete with its top-eight players as well as a talented crop of first-years, the men’s squash team will be looking for “strong showing this year,” according to co-captain Kevin Cecala ’11.
Brian Warner, another senior and an all-NESCAC Second Team honoree last season, will play at number one for the Jeffs again this year, while Andrew Kriete and co-captain Tom Rapisarda will return to anchor the middle of the Amherst lineup. Charles Loesch-Quintin ’13 and Steve Severson ’12 will continue to man their spots from last season, numbers two and three respectively, while a number of upperclassmen will return to complete what should be an extraordinarily deep and experienced team.
Also in the running for spots this year are first-years David Kerr, Rodrigo Miranda and Christopher Gerry, who also come in with a significant amount of experience. “The depth of our lineup will be key in moving up the rankings this year,” said Rapisarda. “We have stepped up our preseason training in conjunction with the new talent on the team and we are hopeful to move closer to the top 10 in the nation.”
With plenty of matches against NESCAC foes on the schedule, the team is slated for a big showing. To ensure that they stay on that track, Cecala emphasized that “it is important to keep everyone focused on the season and make sure everyone stays healthy so we don’t lose anyone to injury.”