Squash Continues Domination of NESCAC With 11th Consecutive Title

CAM CHOTTINER ’20 CONTRIBUTING WRITER
This weekend, Trinity Squash traveled to the Davenport Squash Courts at Amherst College for the 2016-2017 NESCAC Championship. To the surprise of few, both men’s and women’s teams cruised to yet another victory.
On the men’s side, the Bantams came in as a heavy favorite with an 11-1 record on the season and the #2 ranking in the country. After a first round bye, the top seeded Bantams faced the #8 ranked Wesleyan Cardinals. The Bantams won in decisive fashion, winning 9-0 without conceding a single game. Sophomore Nku Patrick ’19 gave away only six points throughout the three-game match. First-year players, Patrick O’Sullivan ’20 and Andrew Lee ’20 also turned in stellar performances in their first NESCAC appearances. In the team’s next match, Trinity faced off against the #4 ranked Middlebury Panthers. In yet another strong performance, the Bantams defeated the Panthers 9-0. In form similar to Nku, Thoboki Mohohlo ’19 conceded only seven points to his opponent during a dominant performance. In the championship match against the #2 ranked Bates Bobcats, the Bantams cruised to yet another victory, this time to the tune of 8-1. Trinity showed no signs of slowing down as the team won all but one game, which was a hard-fought, in convincing fashion to claim the 11^th straight NESCAC Men’s Squash title.
The Bantams now set their sights on an away match at Harvard, which should prove to be a good test. Following that match the team returns to Trinity to play their final home match of the season against St. Lawrence. With the NESCAC Championship in the bag, Trinity will look to bring home yet another Intercollegiate Squash National Championship.
Women’s squash also won in dominant fashion, rolling over Colby 9-0 in the quarterfinal, Bates 9-0 in the semis, en route to a 9-0 victory over Williams in the championship. Against Colby and Bates, Trinity won an astounding 17 of the 18 matches 3-0. Due to outstanding performances from Vanessa Raj ’20, Julia LeCoq ’18, and Jenny Haley ’19, the Bantams cruised into the championship match unscathed. A Trinity team that proved too much to handle for Colby and Bates was no easier for Williams, as the Bantams swept 9-0 again, claiming their 11^th of 11 NESCAC Women’s Squash titles. LeCoq turned in another stellar performances, allowing just six points in her match, along with freshman Lakeesha Rarere ’20.
After an impressive showing at the NESCAC tournament, Trinity looks to capture its third national title at Dartmouth in early March.