By Alexandria Sedlak
Down in Charlottesville, Virginia, the men’s squash team gave another reason to be proud to be a Ram this weekend. In this tournament, hosted by the University of Virginia, the Rams competed against teams from Richmond, Georgetown, College of Charleston, Dickinson and the University of Virginia. It proved to be a successful start to the second half of the season, as the Rams finished the tournament with a 3-2 record. Also in Virginia, the women’s club squash team began its first season as an official club for Fordham.
On Saturday, the men’s team opened with a 7-2 win over Richmond, followed by a 3-6 loss to Georgetown. However, they ended the day with a 6-3 win against the College of Charleston. Sunday morning opened with a fresh 9-0 win for the Rams against Dickinson, followed by a 2-7 loss to the host school, University of Virginia. After the last match, the team felt satisfied and confident about how they played.
Jimmy Shinnick, FCRH ’17, a captain of the team, explained, “This weekend was great for the team. It showed our great improvement from last semester. Even in our losses to UVA and Georgetown, we were extremely competitive and improved greatly from last year’s matches against them.”
The sense of confidence and competitive spirit can be attributed to the consistency of both new and returning players. New additions include No. 3 on the ladder, sophomore Will Wardrop, who finished the weekend with a 4-1 record, and No. 5, sophomore Joseph Hughes, with a 3-2 record. The first spot on the ladder was played by junior Kincade Webster, who ended with a 4-1 record. Freshman Peter Yuen did not lose a single match this weekend, coming home with a 5-0 record. The return of juniors Matthew Crowe, No. 9, and James Potts, also helped the team become more competitive with each other and more successful in their matches.
This weekend also marked a great start for the women’s club squash team, who won its first team match in Virginia against Notre Dame. This season is the first time that Fordham has officially recognized Women’s Club Squash. These ladies have already set a high standard for the team, and we expect to see more of their great matches in their opening season.
It was a huge weekend for Fordham Squash with the first win of a new club team and the promising future of the men’s varsity team. Not only did the men’s team have a great overall record, but it also played some terrific individual matches.
Shinnick agreed, “This was a great way to start the second half of the season, and it gives us confidence going into Baltimore next week and our home matches the following weekend.”
Next weekend, from Jan. 30-31, the team will be competing in the John’s Hopkins Round Robin in Baltimore, Maryland.
The following weekend, the team will be playing at home on the Lombardi Squash Courts. This would be a great opportunity to see your fellow Rams in action, and because of the team’s definite uphill track, it will without a doubt be a momentous match to watch.
Coach Bryan Patterson, an experienced coach and former world-ranked player himself, believes that “the team is definitely on the up and is the strongest that I have coached since becoming the Fordham Squash coach.”
