The 2020 Liberty League men's and women’s squash championships will be co-hosted by the University of Rochester (Saturday) and Hobart and William Smith Colleges (Sunday) as a combined championship. The championships are conducted in a round-robin format and with matches held Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 8-9, at the Lyman Squash Center (Rochester) and the Smith Squash Center (Hobart and William Smith).
SATURDAY: UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER (Goergen Athletic Center - Lyman Squash Center)
• Host Tournament Page: University of Rochester
• GPS Address: 720 Library Road, Rochester, NY 14627
SUNDAY: HOBART & WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES (Bristol Field House - Smith Squash Center)
• Host Tournament Page: Hobart and William Smith Colleges
• GPS Address: 253 Hamilton Street, Geneva, NY 14456
LIVE SCORING - SATURDAY MATCHES (Men / Women)
LIVE SCORING - SUNDAY MATCHES (ClubLocker.com - requires a free account)
MATCH-BY-MATCH RESULTS
LIBERTY LEAGUE TOURNAMENT ROSTERS
Bard College:
Men |
Women
Hobart and William Smith Colleges:
Men |
Women
University of Rochester:
Men
St. Lawrence University:
Men |
Women
Vassar College:
Men |
Women
TOURNAMENT RECORDS (Round-robin competition):
Women: William Smith 3-0; St. Lawrence 1-1; Vassar 1-1; Bard 0-3
Men: Rochester 4-0; Hobart 3-1; St. Lawrence 2-2; Bard 1-3; Vassar 0-4
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Saturday, Feb. 8 (at Rochester - Lyman Squash Center)
9 a.m. - MEN: Bard 6, Vassar 3
10 a.m. - WOMEN: Vassar 9, Bard 0
11 a.m. - MEN: Hobart 6, St. Lawrence 3
12 p.m. - WOMEN: William Smith 6, St. Lawrence 3
1:30 p.m. - MEN: Rochester 9, Bard 0
2:30 p.m. - WOMEN: St. Lawrence 9, Bard 0
3:30 p.m. - MEN: Hobart 9, Vassar 0
4:30 p.m. - WOMEN: William Smith 9, Vassar 0
6:30 p.m. - MEN: Rochester 8, St. Lawrence 1
Sunday, Feb. 9 (at Hobart and William Smith - Smith Squash Center)
9 a.m. - WOMEN: William Smith 9, Bard 0
10 a.m. - MEN: Hobart 8, Bard 1
11 a.m. - MEN: St. Lawrence 8, Vassar 1
12 p.m. - WOMEN: St. Lawrence 9, Vassar 0
1 p.m. - MEN: St. Lawrence 7, Bard 2
2 p.m. - MEN: Rochester 9, Vassar 0
3 p.m. - MEN: Rochester 9, Hobart 0
The University of Rochester men and the St. Lawrence women will be looking to defend their respective Liberty League titles. Rochester went 4-0 in round-robin play at last year's tournament, winning its seventh Liberty League title, but first since 2012-13. St. Lawrence went 3-0 in round-robin competition to win its second straight Liberty League championship and third title overall.
In the men's championship, Rochester defeated St. Lawrence, 6-3, in the deciding match of the tournament. First-year player First-year player Thijs Van Der Pluijm rallied from a 2-0 deficit at No. 5 in his match against George Willis to seal the win for the Yellowjackets. His 6-11, 7-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-7 victory was the deciding point in a match that feature three five-game matches, two of which were won by Rochester. Ashley Davies outlasted Mohamed El Gawarhy at the No. 1 position, 9-11, 11-3, 11-3, 4-11, 11-9, in the final match of the evening as Rochester ended St. Lawrence's five-year reign as Liberty League champion.
In the women's championship, the St. Lawrence-William Smith match proved to be the deciding match for the second straight season. A close match was expected after the Saints edged the Herons 5-4 to capture the 2018 title. William Smith senior Michaelann Denton gave the Herons a 1-0 advantage with a 11-4, 11-4, 11-6 at the No. 3 position. It turned out to be the only match in which William Smith would win. Lizzy Lasusa and Lindsay Whipple answered with wins at No. 6 and No. 9 respectively as the Saints captured the lead after the first wave. Abigail Smith and Gabrielle Ahrens followed with wins at No. 8 and No. 5. First-year player Makyla Kelley clinched the victory for St. Lawrence at the No. 2 position with a close 11-9, 11-9, 11-8 victory over Madison Bradley. Five of the Saints' victories came by 3-0 scores.
A look at the MEN'S TEAMS...
Bard Raptors (5-6):
- CSA National Ranking: 40th
- The Raptors earned their first-ever win over Hobart, 5-4, on Dec. 7 at the Wesleyan round robin. Senior Artun Ak earned a close 12-10, 17-15, 2-11, 12-10 at No. 2.
- Senior Theo Webb anchors the Bard lineup from the No. 1 position.
Hobart Statesmen (2-11):
- CSA National Ranking: 35th
- Junior Quinn Udy is the top player for the Statesmen as he currently boasts a record of 7-6, including 5-6 at the No. 1 position.
- Sophomore Mo Abdelhafez is a combined 4-4 while playing across the top three positions.
- Hobart has no seniors on its roster. The Statesmen have three juniors, five sophomore and three first-years.
Rochester Yellowjackets (5-4):
- CSA National Ranking: 5th
- Three of Rochester's four losses have come against teams ranked in the top three (Harvard, Trinity, Penn) in the recent CSA poll. The other loss is to sixth-ranked Drexel. The Yellowjackets own wins over No. 7 Yale, No. 9 Dartmouth and No. 11 Columbia.
- Junior Ashley Davies, the 2019 Liberty League Player of the Year, is currently 5-3 at the No. 1 position.
- Junior Marcus Sim is currently a team-best 7-2 while playing in the No. 4 and 5 positions.
St. Lawrence Saints (3-16):
- CSA National Ranking: 26th
- St. Lawrence has played one of the toughest schedules in the country with nine losses coming against teams in the top 10 in the most recent CSA poll.
- The Saints have been strongest at the top of the lineup with senior Karim Ibrahim, sophomore Enzo Corigliano and senior Belal Nawar occupying the top three spots.
- Freshman Inwoo Lee has been the top rookie among five first-year players, primarily playing in the fourth position.
Vassar Brewers (5-14):
- CSA National Ranking: 47th
- First-year player Sameer Mustafa has had an immediate impact on the Vassar lineup as a rookie, picking up five wins in the No. 1 position in the team's first 14 matches.
- Sophomore Reese Collins has compiled six wins while playing primarily in the lower part of the order.
- The Brewers compiled a four-match winning streak from Nov. 3-10, picking up wins over Lafayette, Siena, Swarthmore and Colgate.
A look at the WOMEN'S TEAMS...
Bard Raptors (2-11):
- CSA National Ranking: 41st
- Bard is now in its third season as a varsity program. The addition of the Bard program gave the Liberty League four schools with women's squash, the requisite number needed to conduct a championship. As a result, the women's championship returned in 2017-18 after being discontinued following the 2009-10 season.
- The Raptors defeated Smith and Rochester at the Bard Round Robin on Nov. 16-17.
- First-year player Pam Jaramillo and junior Riti Bahl are the top two players in the Bard lineup.
St. Lawrence Saints (4-15):
- CSA National Ranking: 28th
- St. Lawrence has just two of its 19 matches at home, the Robie Squash Center, this season.
- The Saints won three of their last four matches, including wins over Georgetown, Boston College and Colby.
- The top four players in the St. Lawrence lineup are all sophomores - Sanna Koivumäki, Makyla Kelley, Kat Leiva and Starnisha Ramsey. Koivumäki earned Liberty League Player of the Year honors as a freshman last season.
Vassar Brewers (5-12):
- CSA National Ranking: 33rd
- Vassar opened its season with four straight wins - Fordham, Bard, Northeastern, Boston University - at home in a round-robin tournament.
- Sophomore Claire Coss, who anchors the Brewer lineup from the No. 1 position, recorded an 11-6, 11-4, 11-4 victory against Colgate in her most recent match.
- Vassar fell to William Smith 8-1 on Dec. 7. Sydney Nemphos recorded an 11-3, 11-1, 11-7 win in the No. 3 position for the Brewers.
William Smith Herons (12-3):
- CSA National Ranking: 22nd
- William Smith is currently the Liberty League's top-ranked team.
- First-year Marcela Marquez Martinez joined the lineup after the semester break and has won her first seven collegiate matches, including a 6-0 record at the No. 1 position.
- Senior Gabby Fraser, the 2018 Liberty League Player of the Year, is currently 11-2, having split time between the No. 1 (6-1) and No. 2 (5-1).
- The Herons defeated St. Lawrence 5-4 in Geneva on Nov. 15. Fraser defeated Koivumäki 11-9, 11-6, 6-11, 7-11, 12-10 in a pivotal match. It was the season-opening match for the Saints. Martinez did not play in that match for the Herons.