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February 8th, 2010 Mithun Mukherjee posted in College Squash, General
Rochester bt. Franklin & Marshall 8-1
Also, check out this excellent clip profiling the Yellowjackets at the University of Rochester Athletics website. Aren’t you proud to be a Yellowjacket fan?
Photos from the Rochester vs Cornell match on Sunday (© 2010 Paul Schwartz):
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February 3rd, 2010 Mithun Mukherjee posted in College Squash, General
BRING IT! Yellowjacket co-captains H.Ahmed and J.Bristow
ROCHESTER YELLOWJACKETS (#3) vs. FRANKLIN & MARSHALL DIPLOMATS (#12)
When: 6:00 pm Friday February 5th 2010
Coach’s Corner: “F&M return to the Lyman Squash Courts at the University of Rochester. F&M have been a solid team for many years, and with the addition of former former PSA World No.1 John White as coach, look to rise up and challenge the best teams in the league.
The addition of Juan Diego Lopez from Colombia and Guillerme de Melo from Brazil (brother of Gabriel already at F&M) strengthen the line-up.
F&M is a work in progress, and while Rochester don’t expect too much trouble, there are some very talented players that could produce surprising victories if Rochester aren’t sharp.”
ROCHESTER YELLOWJACKETS (#3) vs. CORNELL BIG RED (#6)
When: Sunday February 7th, 12:00 pm *BIG MATCH*
Coach’s Corner:“Despite finishing 6th in Nationals last year after losses to Yale & Harvard, Cornell were awarded the most improved team award for their season. Cornell have also never lost to Rochester.
Cornell have an umbilical cord to Ontario and recruit the best players form the province, as well as some strong US players. This year they added Arjun Gupta, who will most likely start mid-to-high order.
A very similar line-up to Rochester in terms of ability down the order, this match is impossible to predict. Rochester suffered a 5-4 loss last season at Cornell, and now look to reverse this result on home soil. This could be a very interesting local rivalry for years to come.”
ROCHESTER YELLOWJACKETS (#3) vs HOBART STATESMEN (#24)
When: Wednesday February 10th, 6:00 pm
Coach’s Corner:“A local derby played mid-week and a repeat of the Liberty League match earlier in the season.
Legendary player and coach Carol Weymuller, Head Coach, brings a sense of discipline and knowledge to the Hobart players.”
January 29th, 2010 Mithun Mukherjee posted in College Squash, General, Video
Last night on the news, Chuck Wade of 13WHAM News did an excellent piece on the international melting pot of cultures that is the University of Rochester Squash Team. Great to see the Yellowjackets (and squash) get some local TV coverage.
“You’ve probably heard the sound of a squash game being played before, but chances are you’ve never heard it like the University of Rochester’s Squash team plays it. The Yellowjackets have players hailing from near and far – 11 countries, four different continents, all brought together by one common sport…..
….Rochester’s coach is an interational as well….. Putting together a virtual United Nations of squash talent was his idea when he first came to Rochester. “I wanted to create this very diverse group of athletes, because the experience that they get learning from each other,” Heath told us. “To me, that’s the best thing about meeting people….””
January 20th, 2010 Mithun Mukherjee posted in Events, General
Come join us at Midtown Athletic Club on Sunday afternoon for a taste of PSA SquashTV.
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January 18th, 2010 Mithun Mukherjee posted in Events, General
NOTE from SquashRochester: Many thanks to Midtown Athletic Club and Peter Brizee for making this possible. Please forward this email and invite your friends, especially the non-squash playing ones to witness this wonderful spectator event. Arrangements at Midtown are excellent with a brilliant large screen HDTV, excellent sound, enough comfortable seating for a large crowd and a cafe nearby for a meal while you watch and mingle with the squash community. Plus the live streaming from the new PSASquash.TV service is world class with multiple camera angles, zoom, replays and commentary bringing professional squash to a whole new level making squash a true spectator sport!
Also check out TocSquash.Com and the Squashsite ToC mini-site for entire schedule of events from Grand Central.
January 8th, 2010 Mithun Mukherjee posted in College Squash, Events, General
From Coach Heath: “Rochester defeated Yale 5-4 last year at Nationals in what was one of the most nail-biting finishes ever in college squash.Freshman Matt Domenick was up against Junior and season-long No.1 Aaron Fuchs in the deciding match. Matt pulled off an incredible 3-2 victory against his more experienced opponent to send Rochester into the semi-finals. This was the first time Rochester had beaten Yale and their first time they would compete in the semi-finals of the CSA Nationals. This result reversed an enjoyable 5-4 tussle between Yale & Rochester at Yale during the season. Yale rallied from behind to clinch some unlikely victories and the overall match 5-4, though this loss made the reversal all the more sweet for Rochester later in the season. Yale look to have a very strong recruiting year, and while they lose two solid performers from their mid-order in Colin Campbell & Francis Johnson, they look to have improved their overall standard. The result is far from being predictable, though Rochester will have the home court advantage this year.” |
2009 CSA Championship Rochester vs. Yale 02/20/2009 Clinching the last and deciding match for University of Rochester in the team’s 5-4 win over Yale, Freshman Matt Domenick breaks a string at match ball, then returns to the court to win the gruelling 5 game match against his Yale opponent, Aaron Fuchs. The exuberant team swarms him to soak in the historic win that nets a minimum top four team finish. |
They face off again this Sunday after almost a year. The Bulldogs will be looking for sweet revenge but the Yellowjackets have the home court advantage. So come give it to them!
When: Sunday, January 10, 2010, 1:00pm-4:00pm
Where: Lyman Squash Courts, University of Rochester
RSVP on Facebook
January 4th, 2010 Mithun Mukherjee posted in General, Press
Ringing in the new year, here’s a second helping of the slick ZagMag (albeit a month late!)for the squash fan from the squash-mad folks at SquashZag.com. If you’d like a print version to print and post on your club’s squash bulletin board, here’s a link to it.
December 15th, 2009 Mithun Mukherjee posted in College Squash, Events, General
Middlebury squash coach and Rochester alum John Illig chronicles an excellent play by play of the day’s events in this excellent piece for the CSA website:
“…The cheering for the victory was loud, but brief. Princeton players had fought hard and were disappointed, but again they were all-class. And Rochester, in victory, was all-class: VERY respectful. All these players know each other. They’re friends. And that’s how you play the game, even when the nation’s 2-3 spot is at stake….”
Read the entire article at the CSA Website.
Photos by Paul Schwartz:
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December 13th, 2009 Mithun Mukherjee posted in College Squash, Events, General
In the biggest home match of the season, the #3 ranked Yellowjackets snatched the #2 spot from the visiting Princeton Tigers in an exciting 5-4 victory.
Yes, Princeton was missing regulars Shannon, Callis and Tanner in their lineup today but Rochester put up an exceptional performance in a match that could easily have gone to 6-3.
In one of the first matches of the day at #6, Rochester freshman Juan Pablo Gaviria, giving it his everything at one game down to Princeton’s Clay Blackiston had an unfortunate head collision with the right side wall and was out cold for a few seconds resulting in him having to retire…that was a solid blow that the lad took to the head!
Co-captain Jim Bristow (R), playing Santiago Imberton (P) at #3 was a tight match with Bristow winning in four. Imberton consistently pushed Bristow to the front with some excellent cross nicks but eventually Bristow began to read through them and control the game more.
Convincing 3-0 wins for Rochester at #7 and #9 by Will Newnham (over Nikhil Seth) and Joe Chapman (over Thorman) respectively.
Another freshman, Oscar Lopez-Hidalgo probably delivered what was the most crucial win for Rochester at #8 after being 1-0 down to Princeton’s Steve Harrington. The match score was 3-2 in Rochester’s favor at that stage.
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(More pictures to follow)
Rochester’s co-captain at #2, Hameed Ahmed was cruising with a 2-1 game lead and 7-1 up in the fourth game against Princeton’s Letourneau, when the inexplicable happened. All credit to Letourneau who dug and dug and dug and pulled off a miracle comeback of the day to win in five and equalize the match score for Princeton. The last time they met during Ahmed’s freshman year Letourneau won 3-1 so maybe that was still what was playing in Ahmed’s head. Funny how this game works!
Newnham (R) shot back strongly over Seth (P). Rochester 4, Princeton 3.
The two matches remaining both featured Rochester freshmen – Harrity(P) vs Fischer(R) at #1 and Pena(P) vs Duany(R) at #4.
In a tightly contested match, the tall Peruvian Duany retrieved EVERYTHING Pena was giving him and in the end prevailed to win Rochester that all important fifth match!
Meanwhile Fischer put on a strong showing against Harrity on the next court but succumbed in the end. At any rate, the overall outcome had already been decided – a historic win for the newly crowned #2 team in the nation!!!
Andres Duany wins the final point for Rochester:
More match reports:
Squashtalk – Rochester beats Princeton with superior depth
Rochester Athletics – #3 Rochester Edges #2 Princeton in Squash
Princeton Athletics – Shorthanded Squash Falls To No. 3 Rochester In 5-4 Thriller
Final scores:
1. Todd Harrity (P) def. Ben Fischer (R), 11-7, 11-8, 11-6
2. David Letourneau (P) def. Hameed Ahmed (R), 11-13, 9-11, 11-3, 11-8, 11-8
3. Jim Bristow (R) def. Santiago Imberston (P), 11-8, 11-5, 8-11, 11-7
4. Andres Duany (R) def. David Pena (P), 14-12, 11-7, 8-11, 11-5
5. Peter Sopher (P) def. Matt Domenick (R), 11-6, 11-8, 11-5
6. Clay Blackiston (P) def. Juan Pablo Gaviria (R), 11-4, 6-3, ret.
7. Will Newnham (R) def. Nikhil Seth (P), 11-9, 11-1, 11-6
8. Oscar Lopez-Hidalgo (R) def. Steve Harrington (P), 11-13, 11-8, 11-7, 11-5
9. Joseph Chapman (R) def. James Thorman (P), 11-7, 11-5, 11-9
December 8th, 2009 Mithun Mukherjee posted in College Squash, Events
MARK YOUR CALENDARS! You can’t miss one of the biggest (and first) home game of the season!
Sunday December 13th at 1:00pm at the Lyman Squash Courts, Goergen Athletic Center, University of Rochester
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From Coach Martin Heath: This is the first time Princeton has ever competed at the University of Rochester. Ranked No.2 behind Trinity College, Princeton has been painfully close to beating Trinity the past 5 years. On paper they had the best team last year, and despite hosting Nationals at Princeton, they again fell agonizingly short. This year they are still strong, with Todd Harrity, the US wunderkind coming in near the top of the order. He will replace the “three amigos” of Mauricio Sanchez, Kimlee Wong & Hisham El Halaby who all graduated in 2009. Rochester played Princeton at Princeton twice last year, losing 9-0 & 8-1, though certainly the matches were closer than the scoreline suggested. This year it will be a much closer affair on paper, with the home advantage going to Rochester. This match will most likely determine No.2 seeding in Nationals. |
The Yellowjackets – Liberty League Champions for three consecutive years in Nov 2009
See what the college squash community is saying:
CSA Article – “Count Rochester in the National Championship Mix”
RSVP to Rochester vs Princeton on Facebook
Yellowjackets coverage on SquashRochester.Org
December 2nd, 2009 Mithun Mukherjee posted in Events, General, Video
Pictures and video (courtesy of Paul Schwartz) from another edition of the annual Thanksgiving morning round robin tradition at the Harro East Club. Recognize these faces? 
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December 1st, 2009 Mithun Mukherjee posted in Events, General, Tournaments
By Jack Fitzpatrick
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Rochester’s 2009-10 squash tournament season started off during Halloween week with the 9th annual George Armstrong Squash Classic at the Genesee Valley Club.
Division 3.0
Reflecting the spirit of squash, the three entrants were a veteran and eventual winner (Mary Jo Gabel), and 2 beginners, a young guy and lady who, after getting the basics behind them (BS, MS, PhD, marriage, finalization of career choice, etc.) finally figured out that squash should have come sooner, but better late… Jim Roger- PhD (3rd) is a good tennis player who just took up squash and cannot believe that it is that complicated, but found out that it is. Emily Sulks (2nd) (MS-music) found out that rhythm is really helpful on the court, but technique must follow. Mary Jo Gabel (1st), the wily veteran, had both the rhythm, and when she needed the big point, the technique to enable her to win her first GA title.
Division 4.0
This is always the most interesting draw because it always has the most entrants and also features the widest variety of styles. Eventual winner was Mark Thrall, a terrific athlete, who was able to cope with the best tactics of his opponents. He was able to retrieve their best shots and then pound crisp crosscourts or rails for winners or weak returns (which he was delighted to pound again).
Scott Fitzpatrick, for the 2nd year, lost to the eventual winner in an early round. He played strong and skillfully but Mark was equally determined, winning a very close one. Rudy Small (2nd) showed a talent for making the most imaginative shots but, again, Thrall maintained his winning strategy: retrieve and then pound the ball for a winner or weak return.
Division 4.0 – Consolation
Katie Calihan won by first getting past the hard hitting veteran Fred Hagen. She was able to retrieve Fred’s power shots, and then just had to stay focused against the all-court, but looser game of Brent Dubeshter.
Division 5.0
This year, the seedings were all correct because all the players lost (or won by 3-0). Brendon Bascom became the first ever GA singles winner to defend his title, marching straightforwardly through Glenn Fjermedal and Eric Hernady. Eric had defeated Thomson Chew to reach the final.
Doubles
This perennial fun event had 5 teams, all who played each other in a round robin. Jack Fitzpatrick and Tim Sladden had a lot of fun winning against very athletic, but less experienced teams, with Tim scoring a lot of signature reverse corner points. However, in the finals, when they faced the great retrieving and very hard-hitting team of Thomson and partner Ilya Voloshin, the match early on became one sided. Thomson started the 1st game by blistering 2 three-wall nicks in the first 3 points, and then Ilya retrieved 3 normally winning ’shots’ by Jack/Tim and turned them into his own winners. They won it all 3-0.
When the Friday matches were finished, cool drinks and food were featured for the players and after the finals were played on Saturday, all the parents had plenty of time to take the kids trick-or-treating. Thanks to everyone for playing and supporting the 2009 George Armstrong Squash Classic.
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