The first in a series of previews featuring winter teams which begin competition in November – be on the lookout for previews on women's squash, swimming and diving, women's basketball, and men's basketball.
Ahmed Abdel Khalek '16
returns as Bates' top player
LEWISTON, Maine – Bates College men's squash will feature a formidable top of the ladder in 2013-14, giving the Bobcats an opportunity to improve upon last year's 13th-place CSA finish and third-place NESCAC finish under the direction of sixth-year head coach Pat Cosquer '97.
"One of our main goals is to make the NESCAC final, and cracking into the top 10 or even the top eight of the CSA final rankings is also a realistic goal for this team," Cosquer said. "On the academic side, we want to raise our team GPA – every year that's our primary goal."
The Bobcats return six players who gained experience at last year's CSA (College Squash Association) Team Championships including sophomore Ahmed Abdel Khalek (Cairo, Egypt) who earned CSA All-America and NESCAC Player of the Year honors a season ago. That experience coupled with an influx of seven talented first-year players will provide the team with a foundation for the present and the future.
Assessing the Ladder
Abdel Khalek returns as Bates' number one player after finishing as the fourth-ranked player in college squash in 2012-13 and entering 2013-14 as the country's third-ranked player.
Behind Abdel Khalek, Cosquer can lean on the experience of senior co-captain Kristian Muldoon (Paget, Bermuda) and the potential of Abdel Khalek's countryman, first-year Ahmed Sherif Hatata (Alexandria, Egypt). Both players should challenge one another throughout the season and give the Bobcats strong options at the number two and number three spots.
Cosquer believes multiple Bobcats will have the opportunity to compete for playing time in the middle of the team's lineup. Junior co-captain Andy Cannon (Greenwich, Conn.), classmate Nabil Saleem (Alpharetta, Ga.), and sophomore Caran Arora (Mumbai, India), all gained playing time at last year's CSA Team Championships and should hold down the squad's number four through six spots in some order.
The bottom portion of Bates' ladder remains fluid as well with a blend of returning players and newcomers vying for chances to break the lineup. Cosquer feels that junior Jason Shrubb (Hamilton, Bermuda) and first years, Carlos Ames (Williamstown, Mass.), Spencer Burt (Portland, Ore.), Darrius Campbell (St. Stephen, S.C.), Creighton Foulkes (Belmont, Mass.), and Nima Olumi (Newton, Mass.) all could have an impact in the seven to nine positions.
Senior Julian Hackney (Bronx, N.Y.) and first-year Stefan Joseph (Tortola, British Virgin Islands) give the Bobcats additional depth.
Season Outlook
After finishing third at last year's NESCAC Championships, the Bobcats will seek to take a step further and reach the conference final this winter in the always formidable league.
The team – which begins the year at No. 13 in the CSA preseason rankings – will get an early chance to test its mettle as Bates hosts last year's national champions Trinity in the team's season opener on Nov. 23.
"We tend to rise to the occasion and surprise ourselves and others at that match," Cosquer said. "That's a good kind of jumping off point and early test for us – playing against Trinity in the middle of November at home – that'll be a lot of fun."
The team will enjoy a number of home matches – particularly in the month of January – including clashes with Connecticut College and Williams (Jan. 11), Hamilton (Jan. 15), Brown (Jan. 17), and Colby (Jan. 29, Senior Day).
Throughout the season, Bates will also honor the late Herb Bunker – the founder of the Bates College squash programs – who passed away last spring.
"Herb Bunker, who started the squash programs here, was really instrumental in my development as a player and future coach," Cosquer said. "We're dedicating this season, both men's and women's teams, to Herb and his memory. We really just want to do as well as we can in the rankings but also be upstanding citizens and great student-athletes in memory of Herb."
