sign in sign up
<<
Home , Squash (sport)

SPORTS

ATHLETICS The International Flavor of Squash With 11 players from seven different countries, Rochester’s squash team boasts student-athletes from around the world.

By Ben Shapiro ’16 He eventually transitioned from interna- tional junior to professional The racquet sport of squash—played by two events. After experiencing life on the road or four players in a four-walled court with a as a squash player, the idea of continuing small, hollow rubber ball—was invented in his career at an American university ap- 1830 at a British prep school. From there, pealed to Cordell. He contacted fellow squash expanded throughout the British squash players who had attended Roches- Empire and to the rest of the world. ter. They put him in touch with head coach Today, the sport’s world rankings feature Martin Heath. players from to Germany, Colombia Heath was so enthusiastic about Cordell to . Rochester’s current squash coming to Rochester that Cordell says he team also reflects the sport’s global status. didn’t look at other universities. Now in his Here’s a look at a few of their stories: third year as a Yellowjacket, Cordell con- tinues his success on the court. He earned Unitedy b a Common Sport All-American honors as a freshman and An upstate may seem sophomore, and ranked seventh nation- like an unusual choice for a native of Great ally last year after notching 14 wins dur- Britain, but world travels are nothing new ing the season. to Neil Cordell ’15. At 13, Cordell left for his first in- Opening Doors at Home and Abroad ternational event, an under-15 Formerly the top-ranked junior player in in Belgium. Over the next several years, he his native Mexico, Mario Yanez-Tapia ’16 traveled throughout Europe and to places credits squash with enabling him to see the WORLD COURT: All-Americans Ryosei as far as California, Israel, and Qatar. world and meet new people. At a tourna- Kobayashi ’16 (top), Mario Yanez-Tapia ’16 Such travel proved necessary. As one of ment in , he met Heath. (above), and Neil Cordell ’15 have helped England’s best players, there were few area Yanez-Tapia had not considered attend- lead a squash team whose roster includes competitors to challenge Cordell. ing college in the U.S. He reconsidered Yellowjackets from seven countries.

24 ROCHESTER REVIEW March–April 2015 ATHLETICS AND RECREATION

3_RochRev_Mar2015_Review.indd 24 2/23/15 3:00 PM SPORTS after learning about the academic and athletic opportunities. While top squash teams—including traditional powerhouses like Harvard and Trinity—actively recruit- ed him, Rochester was the best fit. Now Yanez-Tapia is part of the Yellow- jacket team, an adjustment for him since squash is largely an . Over- all, it’s been a positive change. “I think it’s better to train as a team,” he says, noting that practicing with a tight-knit group cre- ates extra motivation to work hard. That practice is paying off. Yanez-Tapia is an All-American and Rochester’s cur- rent top player. He amassed a record of 28–4 and earned a top 10 national ranking in his first year and a half as a Yellowjacket. PACESETTER: With a time of 1:14.92, Becky Galasso ’15 (T5) had recorded the fastest All in the Family 500-meter run in Division III as of mid-February. More than a decade ago, the - playing father of Ryosei Kobayashi ’16 HIGHLIGHTS wanted to familiarize his then seven-year- old son with racquet sports. Instead of rac- A Winter Roundup . . . quetball, the two played a game of squash. That was the first step in a successful The women’s swimming and diving team Squash finished 12–5 and fifth overall at athletic career for the sophomore All- produced six NCAA provisional qualifying the College Squash Association champion- American who is currently ranked 11th na- times and three school records at the UAA ships. The Yellowjackets lost an opening tionally by the College Squash Association. championships at Emory. Rochester fin- match to Harvard, 5–4, but bounced back Rather than seeing squash as a niche ished sixth out of eight teams. to defeat Franklin & Marshall and Yale, sport, “my dad thought squash had more Men’s swimming and diving rewrote both of whom defeated Rochester in the opportunities to go higher,” says Kobayashi. some records as well. The Yellowjackets regular season. The Yellowjackets defeated Since racquetball is not a collegiate var- had six NCAA provisional qualifying re- two top-ranked teams during the season— sity sport—and high-level competitions are sults and broke five school records at UAAs. Harvard and Trinity—both by scores of 5–4. few and far between—Kobayashi knew he UR finished seventh out of eight teams. would have to work hard, something he was Women’s basketball produced one of its . . . and a Spring Preview more than willing to do. After school, he biggest wins of the season, a 76–75 decision The spring holds promise for a number of traveled an hour by train to a squash club, over Washington University in the Palestra. athletic teams. is ranked No. 10 where he practiced for five hours a day. The Bears were ranked No. 7 nationally en- in a preseason poll by the National Fast- Kobayashi supplemented his training tering the game and were tied for first place pitch Coaches Association . . . The base- with competitions throughout Asia, in in the UAA. The win assured Rochester of ball team is touted by D3baseball.com as places such as Hong Kong and Malaysia. a winning season (13–9 with three games a strong contender for the Liberty League One of his most important trips came at age left). Two freshmen combined for 42 points title and an NCAA bid . . . has a 17. He traveled to the U.S. for the first time and 26 rebounds to lead the way. strong cast of veterans returning from a to participate in a tournament at Harvard. Over a three-week stretch in mid-win- team that was ranked highly in Division It was there that college squash in the ter, the men’s basketball team won five III in turnovers caused and fewest goals States became an option. Coaches from the of six games to climb within one game of allowed per game . . . The team has a top squash programs in the country, includ- first place in the UAA standings. With two chance to secure its second straight NCAA ing Heath, spoke with Kobayashi. weeks left in the season, Rochester was the bid when the Yellowjackets host the Lib- Several schools vied for the top-ranked only UAA men’s team to sweep both games erty League championships at Locust Hill Japanese junior, but Rochester proved the in a UAA road trip. Country Club . . . Rowing will compete right fit. “I was interested in business, and at In the Boston area, the men’s indoor in the Liberty League championships as the same time I wanted to play squash seri- track & field team’s distance medley relay part of an ambitious spring schedule . . . ously. Rochester was the best option for me.” broke a 36-year-old record running at the Men’s and women’s tennis will each play In many ways, Kobayashi’s rationale for Boston University Valentine Invitational. four UAA opponents before competing in choosing Rochester echoes his father’s The women’s track and field team the UAA championships in Florida in late thinking about squash all those years ago: broke four school records. Between them, April . . . The men’s and women’s outdoor “I thought coming here would give me an the men and women had more than eight track and field teams will look to carry advantage for the future.”r ECAC qualifying performances. Becky Ga- over success from the winter season, host- lasso ’15 (T5) finished 12th among colle- ing the Alumni Invitational on April 4 and Ben Shapiro ’16 is an athletic communi- gians in the 500-meter run at Boston. Her the New York State Collegiate Track Con- cations assistant for the Department of time was the fastest in all of Division III ference’s multi-event championship, April Athletics and Recreation. when the meet ended. 26–27.r —Dennis O’Donnell

ATHLETICS AND RECREATION March–April 2015 ROCHESTER REVIEW 25

3_RochRev_Mar2015_Review.indd 25 2/23/15 2:57 PM