2011-12 Prospectus Wesleyan Men's Squash

WESLEYAN MEN’S SQUASH

2011-12 PROSPECTUS Wesleyan at a glance

General Information Coaches

Location...... Middletown, CT Baseball...... Mark Woodworth ’94 Enrollment...... 2,800 (undergrad.) Men’s Basketball...... Joe Reilly Founded...... 1831 W Basketball/Assoc. AD.....Kate Mullen Nickname...... Cardinals Men’s Crew...... Phil Carney Colors...... Red and Black Women’s Crew...... Pat Tynan Student newspaper...... Argus (biweekly) M/W Cross Country...... John Crooke President...... Michael S. Roth ’78 Field Hockey...... Patti Klecha-Porter Director of Athletics...... John Biddiscombe Football/Asst. AD...... Mike Whalen ’83 Department phone...... (860) 685-2690 Golf...... Chris Potter/Jeff Gilarde Department fax...... (860) 685-2691 Men’s Ice Hockey...... Chris Potter Website...... wesleyan.edu/athletics Women’s Ice Hockey...... Jodi McKenna YouTube channel...... WesleyanAthletics Men’s Lacrosse/Asst. AD...John Raba Facebook page...... wesleyan.athletics Women’s Lacrosse...... Holly Wheeler Twitter feed...... @wescores Men’s Soccer...... Geoff Wheeler Sports info. director...... Brian Katten ’79 Women’s Soccer...... Eva Meredith Sports info. phone...... (860) 685-2887 Softball...... Jen Lane Strength/Conditioning...... Drew Black M/W Squash...... Shona Kerr en s quash nformation M ’ S I M/W Swimming...... Frank Keefe Home facility...... Rosenbaum Squash Ctr. M/W Diving...... Devon O’Nalty Letterwinners returning/lost....9/3 M/W Tennis...... Ken Alrutz Starters returning/lost...... 7/2 M/W Track (Indoor/Outdoor)....Walter Curry Volleyball/Assoc. AD...... Gale Lackey Head coach (7th year)...... Shona Kerr Wrestling...... Drew Black Assistant coach...... Erik Golden Certified athletic trainer...... Ken Dompier Support Staff Faculty mentor...... Joe Bruno Director of Athletics...... John Biddiscombe First varsity season...... 1940-41 Senior Woman Administrator.....Gale Lackey 2010-11 record...... 14-12 Department Secretary...... Nancy Chesbro 2010-11 national finish...... 20th overall Business Manager...... Tom Wantuck Administrative Assistant.....Kirsten Carlson Dir. of Athletic Injury Care...... Joe Fountain Assoc. Dir. of Ath. Injury Care...... Ken Dompier Certified Athletic Trainer.....Vicky Graham Equipment Manager...... Bob Chiapetta Wesleyan University Athletics Equipment Room Attendant...... Jason Helbig Freeman Athletic Center Facility Manager/Asst. AD.....Erin Carey 161 Cross Street Fitness Center Director...... Drew Black Middletown, CT 06459 Intramural Director...... Mark Woodworth ’94 Sports Information Director...... Brian Katten ’79 (860) 685-2690 Athletic Maintenance...... Patrick Welch www.wesleyan.edu/athletics Athletic Maintenance...... Dan Mammola Evening Manager...... Casey Brown About the Program Established in 1940, the men’s squash program at Wesleyan proudly counts four-time U.S. Open champion and Squash Hall of Famer Henri Salaun (class of 1949) and three-time Super Bowl champion coach Bill Belichick (class of 1975) among its alumni. The program posted seven consecutive double-digit win seasons from 1995-2002, including a 13-7 showing in 1998-99 for its second-highest single-season win total. Head coach Shona Kerr, who built Wellesley into a regional and national power before coming to Wesleyan, has the Wesleyan men moving steadily up the ladder, as the team posted a best-ever 14-12 campaign (with three 5-4 defeats) in 2010-11. Kerr currently stands as the second-winningest coach in program history, behind only 25-year head coach Don Long. In addition to the chance to be a part of an up-and-coming program on the national scene, Wesleyan squash players receive a first-rate education at one of the nation’s preeminent liberal arts institutions. Wesleyan is among the most selective institutions in the country, having admitted just 23 percent of ap- plicants for the class of 2015. The Wesleyan curriculum features no course requirements, a rarity among both large universitities and liberal arts colleges. The student-faculty ratio is 9:1, and Wesleyan’s faculty includes a Nobel laureate, Pulitzer Prize winner, MacArthur (“genius grant”) fellow, and numerous re- cipients of Rockefeller, Guggenheim, and other national prizes for teaching and research. The Wesleyan science faculty rank first among liberal arts colleges in federal grants received, receiving more than twice as much funding as the next highest school, and also rank first in H-index, which measures both number of publications and the number of times those publications are cited. Wesleyan is committed to meeting 100 percent of demonstrated financial need. Admissions are need- blind, and Weleyan students received over $41 million in financial aid during the 2010-11 academic year.

2011-12 Outlook

Losing just two starters from last year’s 14-12 squad that finished 20th in the final national rankings after starting the season ranked 27th, Wesleyan has high hopes for the 2011-12 campaign. Among the seven starters back, six are sophomores who rose to the occasion a year ago as freshmen to help the Cardinals advance seven places in the collegiate ranks and give Wesleyan a preseason position of 19th to inaugurate 2011-12. While team tri-captains Lucas Wherry ’13, Zander Nassikas ’14 and Ethan Moritz ’14 will provide the leadership for the young squad, John Steele ’14 was the top performer a year ago as he went 19-6 at #1 and earned first-team all-NESCAC recognition. Wherry went 14-11 playing mainly at #8 while Nassikas posted a 17-9 mark, mostly at #4 as the player with the most individual wins behind Steele. He closed out the 2010-11 season in the #6 slot. Moritz saw most of his action at #7 with an 8-18 slate. Also back are Jeff Berman ’14 (#5, 15-8), Alex Nunez ’14 (#4, 16-10) and Chase Hochman ’14 (#9, 6-8). Three other returnees - Nick Cavallo ’13, Keitaro Sagawa ’12 and Blake Rosenbaum ’12 - will vie with newcomers Blair Corbin ’15, Mike DeLalio ’15, Cameron Rahbar ’15 and Daniel Sneed ’15 for a spot in the starting lineup. Wesleyan begins the year Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 19 and 20 with a trip to the Boston area for four matches during the Boston Round Robin. Opponents on Saturday will be Bates and Northeastern while matches on Sunday feature Conn. College and MIT. The Bates match to start the year looms as a great test for the Cardinals as the Bobcats are ranked #16 in the preseason and have defeated Wes- leyan seven times in a row, including an 8-1 decision last year. With the Cardinals setting their sights on a top-16 finish this season, a win over Bates would be a welcome result toward achieving that goal. 2011-12 Schedule/2010-11 Results

2011-12 Schedule 2010-11 Results (14-12)

Nov. 19 (Sat.) Bates# (at M.I.T.) 2:00 Nov. 20 (Sat.) at Northeastern# W 8-1 19 (Sat.) at Northeastern# 5:00 20 (Sat.) Bates# (at M.I.T.) L 1-8 20 (Sun.) Conn. College# (at NEU) 11:00 21 (Sun.) at M.I.T.# W 9-0 20 (Sun.) at M.I.T.# 1:00 Dec. 3 (Fri.) Tufts* W 9-0 Dec. 2 (Fri.) Wesleyan R.R.% TBA 3 (Fri.) Colgate* W 9-0 3 (Sat.) Wesleyan R.R.% TBA 4 (Sat.) Colby* W 7-2 4 (Sun.) Wesleyan R.R.% TBA 4 (Sat.) George Washington* L 2-7 Jan. 14 (Sat.) Conn. College@ TBA 5 (Sun.) Georgetown* W 8-1 15 (Sun.) Hobart@ 11:00 9 (Thu.) Conn. College W 7-2 18 (Wed.) at Bowdoin TBA Jan. 15 (Sat.) St. Lawrence@ (at Amh) L 1-8 18 (Wed.) Bates (at Bowdoin) TBA 16 (Sun.) Conn. Coll.@ (at Amh) W 7-2 20 (Fri.) Pioneer Valley Invite$ TBA 16 (Sun.) Columbia@ (at Smith) L 4-5 21 (Sat.) Pioneer Valley Invite$ TBA 23 (Sun.) Hobart (at Yale) W 7-2 22 (Sun.) Pioneer Valley Invite$ TBA 23 (Sun.) Fordham W 9-0 28 (Sat.) Amherst 11:00 29 (Sat.) at Amherst L 1-8 29 (Sun.) Williams 1:00 29 (Sat.) Williams (at Amherst) L 0-9 Feb. 3 (Sat.) NESCAC Tournament TBA Feb. 4 (Fri.) Tufts^ W 9-0 4 (Sat.) NESCAC Tournament TBA 5 (Sat.) Williams^ L 0-9 5 (Sun.) NESCAC Tourn.^ TBA 5 (Sat.) Bowdoin^ L 2-7 12 (Sun.) Vassar Team Challenge TBA 6 (Sun.) Colby^ L 4-5 17-19 (F-Su.) National Team Tourn. TBA 12 (Sat.) Columbia+ W 5-4 (at Princeton) 12 (Sat.) at Vassar+ W 9-0 Mar. 4-6 (F-Su.) CSA Indiv. Champ. TBA 25 (Fri.) Columbia$ W 6-3 (at Amherst) 26 (Sat.) George Washington$ L 4-5 27 (Sun.) Amherst$ L 2-7 #Boston Round Robin match Mar. 4-6 (F-Su.) CSA Indiv. Champ. %Participating teams: Brown, Colby, Colgate, (at Dartmouth) Conn. College, Fordham, Hobart, Johns Hopkins, Tufts #Boston Round Robin match @Yale Round Robin match *Wesleyan Round Robin match $Hosted by Amherst, Smith and Mount Holyoke @Pioneer Valley Invitational match ^By qualification only (all teams play Fri.-Sat.) ^NESCAC Tournament match at Trinity +Vassar Team Challenge match $National Team Tournament match (4th in “C” division, 20th overall) 2011-12 Roster

Name Class Hometown Secondary School Jeff Berman* So. Narberth, PA Friends Central School Nicolas Cavallo* Jr. Princeton, NJ Princeton HS Blair Corbin Fr. Charlottesville, VA St. Anne’s Belfield School Mike DeLalio Fr. South Glastonbury, CT Loomis Chaffee School Chase Hochman* So. New York, NY Bronx HS of Science Ethan Moritz** So. Merion Station, PA Lower Merion HS Zander Nassikas** So. McLean, VA Potomac School Alex Nunez* So. Tenafly, NJ Bergen Catholic HS Cameron Rahbar Fr. Boston, MA Noble & Greenough School Blake Rosenbaum Sr. Auburndale, MA Newton North HS Keitaro Sagawa* Sr. Yachiyo City, Japan Gyosei Senior HS Daniel Sneed Fr. Philadelphia, PA Germantown Friends School John Steele* So. Merion Station, PA Episcopal Academy Lucas Wherry** Jr. Brooklyn, NY St. Ann’s School *2010-11 Letterwinner (9) **Tri-Captain

Geographic Breakdown

Pennsylvania - 4 (Berman, Moritz, Sneed, Steele) Massachusetts - 2 (Rahbar, Rosenbaum) New Jersey - 2 (Cavallo, Nunez) New York - 2 (Hochman, Wherry) Virginia - 2 (Corbin, Nassikas) Connecticut - 1 (DeLalio) Outside U.S. - 1 (Sagawa) Wesleyan’s Squash Facilities

Rosenbaum Squash Center

Part of the $13 million addition to the Freeman Athletic Center completed in January 2005, the Rosenbaum Squash Center features eight international squash courts. Each has its own dedicated electronic scoreboard operated by remote control. The squash center is named in honor of Bob Rosenbaum, University Professor of Mathematics and Science emeritus and founder and chair of Wesleyan’s PIMMS (Project to Increase Mastery of Mathematics and Science) program, initiated in 1979. Rosenbaum was an outstanding squash player for Wesleyan’s faculty squad during his Wesleyan tenure and was a four-time national age-group champion in the sport.

Andersen Fitness Center

Part of the $13 million addition to the Freeman Athletic Center completed in January 2005, the Andersen Fitness Center occupies 7,500 square feet. With more than 100 state-of-the-art machines, including 10 elliptical trainers, 10 computerized bikes, six treadmills, six stairmasters, two ergs, one UBE, two Schwinn Airdyne Bikes, and 31 strength-training machines, the fitness center has a large stretching area, numerous free weight apparatuses, and a great TV and audio entertainment setup. Coaching Staff

Shona Kerr - Head Coach Seasons at Wesleyan: 7 (2005-pres.) Alma mater: Cardiff University ’98 [email protected] ~ (860) 685-2444

Shona Kerr will be in her seventh year as head coach of both men’s and women’s squash at Wes- leyan. Coming to Wesleyan in 2005-06 after serving as the head squash coach at Wellesley College, Shona holds the rank of adjunct assistant professor of physical education at the University. In 2010- 11, Shona was honored by the NESCAC as its men’s squash Coach of the Year. Shona completed her fourth year as head squash coach at Wellesley College in 2004-05 with a cumulative record of 44-40. Her 2002-03 squad posted 15 victories, the most at the College since 1984. Shona came to Wellesley from the University of Wales Institutes Cardiff (UWIC), where she coached for one year. Prior to UWIC, she coached the Cardiff University Squash club, where she tutored players of all ages and abilities from 1996-98. In addition, she served as an assistant coach for the Sussex Under-19 girls’ squad. As a player, Shona was a four-year member of the Welsh Universities team from 1996-99. More recently, she was a member of the UWIC team which won the Women’s Welsh Premiere League. She also represented Wales at the 2000 European Club Championships, held in Amsterdam. In the United States, Shona was a national squash age-group champion for under-35 and at the 5.0 skill level in both 2004 and 2005 and also played for the Boston Ladies “A” Team which won the Howe Cup. In addition to her playing and coaching experience, Shona holds Level III advanced coaching certification from the England Squash Association. In the summer 2003, Shona traveled to Cairo as a presenter at the World Squash Federation Development and Coaching Confer- ence. She also has been active in several camps as a coach including Squashbusters summer camp for which she served as director. Shona served a two-year term as vice-president of the College Squash Association (CSA) from 2005-07, of which she has been a member since 2001, and completed a three- year term as CSA president in 2011. She will remain on the CSA Executive Committee for two more years. Shona also was integral in the creation of the CSA website. Shona earned a bachelors degree in music from Cardiff University in 1998 and received her Master of Arts in Liberal Studies from Wesleyan in 2008, receving a handshake from soon-to-be President Barack Obama at graduation. In October 2006, Shona acted as local coordinator for the College Squash Association’s Coaches Conference held at Wesleyan. Shona also organizes activities around Wesleyan’s Rosenbaum Squash Center to foster greater interest in the sport in the area. In her spare time, Shona still enjoys competing and will play in squash tournaments if and when they can fit outside the college schedule. She is also an avid “Racketlon” competitor. A cousin of triathlon, Racketlon combines the four racket sports of table-tennis, badminton, squash and tennis. Shona has been ranked as highly as 11 in the world and will be competing at this year’s World Championships in Vienna. Coaching Staff

Erik Golden - Asst. Coach (2nd season)

Erik Golden is a US Squash certified coach who began his squash career in the 90’s at the Boston Sports Club. He added his to his experience by serving as a collegiate assistant coach for Wesleyan men for the first time in 2010-11 and will continue in that position in 2011-12. After relocating to Connecticut, Erik has played most of his squash as part of the Trinity College squash club and has been exposed to some of the highest level collegiate squash in the U.S. Erik brings a varied sports training background to the team and is also an avid golfer, skier and surfer, and has played competitive ice hockey in leagues from the San Francisco Bay Area to Boston. Erik is a 1991 graduate of the University of the Pacific with a BA in com- munications. Erik was a founding partner of Golden Consulting Group and had been directly involved in the overall development of the organi- zation’s strategic direction, business development and technology partnerships. Erik oversaw the merger of his company with another organi- zation in Boston to become the second largest reseller of SAP Business Intelligence software in the United States. With over 15 years experience in building and executing strategic partnerships for Business Intelligence solutions with leading edge technologies, Erik has become a welcome addition to the Wesleyan squash courts.

Joe Bruno - Faculty Mentor

Joe Bruno is the faculty team mentor for the men’s and women’s squash teams and is entering his seventh season in this role. Joe is a chemistry professor and former vice-president of academic affairs at Wesleyan. He has been instrumental to the squash program in a behind-the-scenes way that most people would not see. He is the squash program’s voice to the faculty, where he proudly boasts the teams’ achievements as a group and as individuals. He works very closely with the coaching staff to mentor individual team members in the academic arena and is a great resource in helping students stay on track to achieve excellence in the classroom. He works side-by-side with the coaching staff in helping to provide academic information to recruited and current students and will often connect prospective and current students with professors who can help in this way. Although he will not boast this fact too loudly, Joe does indeed play squash and is spotted on occasion sparring with different faculty and staff members during his lunch hour. These skills were proudly displayed when Joe joined the team for its annual training trip in Arizona where he drilled on court with the team and jumped into match play and coaching roles when asked. He also drives a mean van with the coolest tunes - or so it is rumored! The squash program is very fortunate to have an individual so committed to the success of each team member. Joe is an integral part of the varsity squash program at Wesleyan. Capitol Squash Capitol Squash is a new Urban Squash program developed to teach inner city children the game of squash and promote education in the greater Hartford area. It is the 12th program of its kind nation- ally. Capitol Squash held its inaugural fundraising event at Trinity College Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2010. The program consisted of both a silent and live auction and the main attraction, an exhibition match between Peter Nicol and John White, two former world number-one squash players. Speeches were given by Greg Zaff, the founder of the first Urban Squash program in Boston, SquashBusters; repre- sentatives from Capitol Squash; and three graduates of Urban Squash who have benefited from these programs. Wesleyan’s Tanesha Jackson ’12, a graduate of City Squash, and Carlos Richardson ’12, who attend- ed SquashBusters, both spoke to the attendees about the differences in their lives that being part of an Urban Squash program has made. Richardson spoke of becoming a “better man,” and Jackson cited that City Squash gave her the opportunity to branch out of her neighborhood in the Bronx. In 2010-11, Jackson posted a 15-9 overall record playing mainly at #4 for Wesleyan’s 14-12 women’s squash squad. Richardson did not play in 2010-11 due to injury but had a 1-2 mark at #9 for the 12-15 men’s team in 2009-10. The National Urban Squash and Educational Association (NUSEA) was founded in June 2005 by Zaff, George Polsky, Steve Gregg, and Tim Wyant. Polsky (StreetSquash), Gregg (SquashSmarts) and Wyant (CitySquash) are also Executive Directors of Urban Squash programs. As stated on its website, the NUSEA’s mission is to “promote squash and education among urban youth.” More information about Capitol Squash is available on its website, capitolsquash.com.

City Squash graduate Tanesha Jackson ’12 SquashBusters attendee Carlos Richardson ’12 Alumni Spotlight Bill Belichick ’75

Although he is probably best known for his exploits on the football field, Bill Belichick was also a standout in squash as well as lacrosse during his years at Wesleyan, lettering in both sports during his undergraduate years. Belichick, who led the New England Patriots to victories in Super Bowls XXXVI, XXXVIII, and XXXIX, is the only NFL coach to win three Super Bowls in four years. His 2007 Patriots enjoyed the first 16-0 regular season in NFL history and reached the Super Bowl for the fourth time in seven years. As a freshman, Belichick helped the Cardinal men’s squash team take down Bowdoin for what was at the time just the fifth time in team history; as a sophomore, he helped Wesleyan pull out a 5-4 victory over Colby in the first-ever meeting between the two teams and spark a 15-match winning streak by Wesleyan against its Maine foe to inaugurate the series. Belichick has received an honorary doctorate from Wesleyan and in 2002 was awarded the University’s Baldwin Medal, the highest honor the school presents for extraordinary service to Wes- leyan or for careers and other activities which have contributed signifi- cantly to the public good. Belichick was part of the inaugural Wesleyan Athletics Hall of Fame induction class in spring 2008.

Henri Salaun ’49

While Henri Salaun graduated as a two-time All-American in men’s soccer, it was squash that brought him the greatest fame in his post-Middletown days. Salaun captured four United States Open squash tournament titles, first winning in 1955 and repeating the feat in 1957, 1958, and 1961. He also had five consecutive appearances in the national title match from 1954-58 and made nine total in a 14-year span. Salaun also earned eight Canadian Open titles and won the inaugural North American Open Championship in 1954. He was inducted into the Squash Hall of Fame in 2000, part of its first class of inductees. Salaun ended his squash career having won at least four national titles at each playing level from Open Division through 70-and-over. Salaun was also a standout on the tennis courts, holding the number-one ranking in New England at each level over more than a 50-year period, starting with Boys 15-and-under and continuing through Veterans 70-and-over. The United States Tennis Association New England inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 1991, and he was inducted into the Wesleyan Athletics Hall of Fame in spring 2008.