Ahmed Abdel Khalek, who is 34-2 thus far in his Bates career, was the subject of a story on the WMTW evening news on Feb. 5, 2014. (File photo by Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College)
LEWISTON, Maine -- Maine residents who tuned in to the evening news on Portland ABC affiliate WMTW Wednesday night became acquainted with Bates sophomore All-American squash player Ahmed Abdel Khalek, who continues to establish himself as one of college squash's best.
WMTW sports anchor Travis Lee visited Abdel Khalek (Cairo, Egypt) and head coach Pat Cosquer at the Bates Squash Center for a look at a young Egyptian man who keeps winning squash matches in the Bobcat uniform. Abdel Khalek is 11-0 this season at the No. 1 position on the ladder. As a first-year student, he went 23-2 and was a national individual semifinalist.
The story delves into the hotbed of squash that is Abdel Khalek's homeland, and features Abdel Khalek rhapsodizing about the beauty of the sport he latched onto as an adolescent. "There's nothing like the competition I face back home," he told Lee. "Like, you have five Egyptian squash players in the top 10 in the world."
Landing Abdel Khalek was a coup for the program, Cosquer told Lee: "We were excited that he visited Bates, and I think he saw how special a place that Bates College is."
