Boys’ Squash Ends With Winning Record
The boys’ squash team had a successful season this winter, ending with a 9-5 record. They beat their rival, Andover, 7-0 twice and finished the season by placing 11th out of 16 teams at Interschols.
The season opened with a 4-3 win against Milton Academy, the first victory over Milton in years. Senior and co-captain Will Ettinger described this win as “certainly an accomplishment.” The team went on to win 5-2 against Suffield Academy, 6-1 against Pomfret School and 4-3 against Pomfret School. With this strong start to the season, boys’ squash was poised for success and the team continued to perform at a high level throughout the remainder of the season, even in the games they did not win.
“Our team's greatest accomplishment was the ravage defeat of Andover.”
After suffering two tough losses, 1-6 to Belmont Hill School and 3-4 to St. Paul’s School, the team stepped up their game at Westminster School and secured an impressive 5-2 win. Though they lost 0-7 at both Brooks School and Noble and Greenough School, the team went on to destroy their rival Andover with a final score of 7-0. At nationals, they qualified for 9-10th place and finished out the rest of the season strong with three wins out of four games, including another 7-0 victory over Andover. The double wins against Andover were a highlight of the season for the team. “Our team's greatest accomplishment was the ravage defeat of Andover,” upper Darius Kahan said. Describing the two-time victory as “something special,” Ettinger added, “I will always remember that I was a part of a team that beat Andover 7-0 twice.” Lower Aum Bhuva agreed and pointed out that E/A was their biggest game because the entire team played. “We really wanted that win, and we got it,” he said.
According to Ettinger, the season revolved around capitalizing on the players’ talent and the work that they have been putting in for years. For younger team members who were less experienced in the game, the constant help and support of older players played a crucial role in their improvement and success. Though the majority of the team had never played squash before coming to Exeter, they managed to compete with teams of players who had been around the game their entire lives. Upper Nate Bogardus said that there is no real separation between the varsity and JV teams, so everyone practiced together, which “really benefits the younger players.” Similarly, prep Weldon Chan felt that those on varsity were “always willing to help those who are on JV or thirds.”
Because the team faced so many highly-experienced teams, they were often challenged to play to their highest potential. Bhuva explained that there were many very powerful teams in the New England area so some matches were “challenging.” However, he said that “the team used those matches to become better strategists and as motivation to reach higher levels of performance.” Senior Michael Kacergis listed team composure at nationals as one of the biggest challenges. “We played some pretty experienced teams and faced a tough challenge to play to our potential,” he said. According to Bogardus, everyone took their games seriously, but kept a “lighthearted” atmosphere which helped temper the disappointment of some tougher losses. “Matches were great, especially when we'd have the whole team out watching and cheering on one specific match,” he said.
Overall, the team felt they had a successful season in which they improved as players and grew closer as a team. “I think we had a pretty successful season, as we all became really close as a team in our effort to improve after some early season setbacks,” upper Myles Haigney said. Similarly, upper Liam Breen felt that although their record could have been better, “the team improved a lot and it was a pretty good season.”
For Bhuva, the best parts of the season were “bonding with the team and getting to know each other.” Kacergis said that the team was “a great group of guys,” and lower JP Kim described it as “awesome,” adding that he is “going to miss a lot of them next year.”
Many team members expressed gratitude towards their captains senior Rex Tercek and Ettinger, who helped motivate all of the players. According to prep Don Assamongkol, the team would test their limits in practice everyday, especially during the runs and workouts. “With the motivation of our captains, we all got into shape,” he said. Kacergis agreed, saying “the leadership of our captains kept us focused and working hard the whole season.”
Bhuva felt that overall, this season was “pretty good.” In summation of the boys’ overall season, he said, “we lost a few matches that we could have won, but we played hard and had a great time.”