Trinity Men's and Women's Squash 2017-18 Preview

TAYLOR KAY GREEN ’19 CONTRIBUTING WRITER
On Saturday, Nov. 18, the Trinity College men’s and women’s squash teams will kick off their season at George Washington University. The men’s team will go into the weekend ranked No. 1 in the national pre-season poll. George Washington’s men’s team is ranked No. 11, but just had their confidence boosted by a 9-0 win over Bucknell University this past Saturday.
Trinity women’s squash is ranked No. 3 in the national pre-season poll, while George Washington’s women’s team is ranked No. 12. Similar to the men’s matchup, George Washington’s women’s team will be coming off of a victory this Saturday. GW bested Navy 6-3 this past Saturday. Although it was not as commanding a victory as the men’s victory over Bucknell, GW women’s squash will be tough competition for the Bantams.
After the away match next Saturday, the men’s squash team will have three more away matches vs. Drexel, Williams, and Columbia before hosting Dartmouth in their first home match on January 16^th. Trinity Women’s squash will also face Drexel after their match next weekend, but will host Wesleyan a week and a half after that on Wednesday Nov. 29.
Consistently two of the best programs in the country, Bantam fans should expect nothing different when this year is all said and done. On the men’s side, keep an eye on Thoboki Mohohlo ‘19, who had a standout summer performance in the South African National Squash Championships. Another player to look out for is Michael Craig ‘19, who led the Bantams to victory over No.1 ranked Harvard in the National Championship match of last year’s season. Mohohlo is 14-1 in his career for the Bantams, while Craig finished last season 13-5 in duels, placing him as the 13^th best player in the nation. Kush Kumar ’20, one of the top first-years in the country during the 2016-17 championship season, is poised to perform even better this year, especially with the high level and high pressure experience that he gained during last year’s National Championship at Harvard.
For the women, make sure to watch out for Jennifer Haley ‘19, who had one of the best winning percentages on the team with 18 victories and just 2 losses. Haley made it to the semifinals of the CSA National Singles Championships last year and will be excited to attain even higher goals this year. Vanessa Raj ’20, also statistically one of the best players on the team last year, will be another player to keep an eye on. As a freshman, Raj finished 10^th in the nation, and was awarded NESCAC rookie of the year honors. Her record was also 18-2, one win better than fellow teammate Lakeesha Rarere’s ’20 record. These three players will compete with each other for the top spot on the team, adding to the existing drama that already exists with top national competition.