The men’s and women’s squash teams look to be a force in the 2019–2020 season. The women’s team is returning many players following a strong last season where they went 11–9. The team currently consists of underclassmen players until veteran juniors Eleanor Wolf ’21 and Leisl Guenther ’21 return from abroad in January. Sophomores Sydney Soloway ’22, Ellie Struthers ’22, and Maddie Sakheim ’22 will lead the Continentals for the first three matches. Soloway played in the fourth and fifth positions during her first season but looks to play higher seeds this year.
While the team is young, they have fresh talent and a new outlook. Head Coach James King noted, “While it will be tough to replace the four seniors that graduated but we have some nice new players to the team that will not only add to the level of play but also the team camaraderie.”
The team had four sophomores walk-on to the team this season: Ellie Arnold ’22, Lila Kirchhoff ’22, Daisy Sulavik ’22, and Catherine McFarland ’22. Newcomer Ellie Arnold said she is “really eager to get to our first match and see what we can do.”
The Continentals also added Hope Worcester ’23, Natalie Harrity ’23, and Katie Hodulik ’23 to the roster. Worcester ’23 is recovering from a shoulder injury but looks to be a top player for the team this winter. Her fellow first years Natalie Harrity ’23, and Katie Hodulik ’23 will also be vital additions to the team. The women have their home opener on Nov. 16 against top-rated Middlebury College at the Little Squash Center.
The men’s team is likely to improve this winter after going 4–14 in their 2018–2019 season. The men gained both a talented first-year class and seniors that returned from abroad. The team is led by a 5-man senior class consisting of Tristan Chaix ’20, Nick Conzelman ’20, Jarrod Gerstein ’20, Callum Sondhi ’20, and Will Jordan ’20. Sondhi played first position for the Continentals last season and advanced to the quarterfinals of the CSA National Individual Championships. Sophomore Rufus Somerby ’22, who played third position last season, also looks to be a force for the men this year. However, the strong first-year class will also compete for some of the top spots in the ladder. Head Coach James King said the team has “a number of talented freshmen that will add to the strength of our team this season.”
One first-year expected to make an immediate impact is Tate Suratt ’23, who is ranked number 155 of all adult men by U.S. Squash. He is joined by Aaron Hadar ’23, Tripp Peters ’23, Owen Routhier ’23, and Chris Lucero ’23. Hadar noted that he is “excited to compete and see how the team fairs this season.” The men will also their first match against Middlebury at home on Saturday, Nov. 16.
