It was NESCAC Championship weekend for the Hamilton men’s squash team as they braved the snowy highways and made their way to central Connecticut for three days of matches from Feb. 4 to Feb. 6. On the weekend, the team went 1–3, living up to their seed and finishing eighth overall among the 10 NESCAC squads competing at the championships.
The highlight of the weekend came on Friday night when the team took down rival Wesleyan in a 5–4 thriller. Wins came from Tate Surratt ’24, Nick Carabatsos ’24, Will Rice ’24, Tate Burgin ’25 and Tripp Peters ’23, and each proved to be essential in a nail-biting first-round matchup. Both Carabatsos and Peters were pushed to the brink, but ended up pulling out 3–2 victories. It was Peters, playing in the eighth position, who had the most thrilling match of the bunch; after dropping an epic first game 14–16, he fought back to take a 2–1 lead. After dropping the fourth game 4–11, the team’s fate hung in the balance, but a gritty 11–9 triumph in the final game secured the win. On court one, Suratt cruised to a steady 11–6, 11–6, 11–6 win over Wesleyan’s Shanay Sanghavi. Oliver Constable ’22 also was victorious in a 3–1 win at the tenth position.
That win ensured a top-eight finish for the championships. The next task was daunting: the next matchup was against perennial squash superpower Trinity, who was ranked third in the nation coming into the tournament. In an 8–1 overall defeat, Blake Davis ’25 highlighted the effort with an impressive 13–11, 5–11, 11–7, 11–7 over Trinity’s Il-Seok Dillon Park.
Peters, again in eighth position, managed a game off of his opponent, falling 3–1. In the consolation round, the next opponent was Amherst. Davis again was a standout, earning another win at the number nine position, this time a 3–2 (11–6, 7–11, 11–8, 5–11, 11–7) performance. Senior captain Rufus Somerby ’22 fought tooth and nail on court number four, ultimately falling 9–11, 12–10, 10–12, 6–11 against stiff competition in Amherst, ranked 20th in the nation.
Constable was left with a positive impression of the Saturday matches. “By far my favorite moment this year was my match against Amherst. The whole team was watching and cheering me on and it was great to see everyone having my back. I also cherished the times in the locker room goofing around with the rest of the team. I know I will be in touch with all of these guys for a very long time.”
In Sunday’s final round, Colby was the final opponent, with seventh place on the line. Injuries to Rice and Simon Mueller ’25 hindered the team’s overall chances. Rice, who was dealing with a nagging injury, had been playing at number six all weekend long but was forced to sit out of the final match. Mueller has been out since early in the season but had played his way into the top nine while healthy. Despite these depleted numbers, the fight remained within the team. Surratt earned his second victory of the weekend at number one, while Carabatsos also took his second win. Davis finished the weekend with a team-high three wins, taking down his Colby opponent 3–1 at the eighth position. The match finished 6–3 in favor of Colby, with a few crucial games slipping just out of reach.
Even with a 1–3 record on the weekend, spirits remained high about the result and the season as a whole. Somerby said “I can confidently say that this has been my favorite season of Hamilton squash. Aside from securing clutch victories against Wesleyan and Haverford, I have had a blast with the group of guys we have. It is unique to have a culture where everyone comes together and contributes like this team has. My favorite memories this season have been in the huddle getting the guys pumped up before matches. I will remember these moments fondly and for a very long time.”
With a week off, the team will be looking ahead to the CSA National Team Championships from Feb. 18 to 20 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They currently sit at number 28 in the national rankings and will look to continue to climb up the leaderboard.
The women’s squash team will be hosting their NESCAC Championships here in Clinton this upcoming weekend.
