Princeton University Athletics
Saturday, November 19
Princeton, N.J.
2:30:00 PM
Princeton University
vs
Franklin & Marshall
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Squash
/ Men's Squash
/ Men's Squash
/ Men's Squash
/ Men's Squash
/ Men's Squash
/ Men's Squash
/ Men's Squash
/ Men's Squash
/ Men's Squash
/ Men's Squash
Photo by: Beverly Schaefer
Youthful, Talented Men's Squash Squad Hosts Important Pair, Ready To Take Next Step Forward
November 17, 2016 | Men's Squash
This hasn't been an easy journey for head coach Sean Wilkinson and the co-captain pairing of Ben Leizman and Abhimanyu Shah.
Wilkinson and Leizman came in after Princeton won back-to-back Ivy League titles, and after its Hall of Fame head coach Bob Callahan '77 was forced to retire due to a tumor that would ultimately end his life far too soon. Shah came in one year later, and jumped into the starting lineup as soon as he arrived on campus.
The trio has lost far more than it liked over their time at Princeton, and more than enough to break most people — and most programs.
Yet, here they stand.
And behind them is an armada of young talent, ready to fight, ready to bring the Tigers back to the main table.
The Princeton men's squash team opens its 2016-17 season this weekend, and the Tigers will get an immediate read on where they truly stand. They enter the season ranked 12th in the CSA preseason poll; they'll host No. 13 Franklin & Marshall Saturday, and they'll host No. 11 George Washington Sunday. Both matches will be streamed live on the Ivy League Digital Network.
There is a good chance that Wilkinson will send six underclassmen, including three freshmen, into the top seven spots in his lineup this weekend. It's a tough challenge for such a young lineup, but Wilkinson is excited to see how his group handles the challenge.
The three sophomores expected to compete in the top seven are the same who played the 1-2-3 spots to open last season. Clark Doyle played No. 1 most of last season and took his lumps, and he seems far stronger because of it. Doyle also had some impressive wins at No. 2 last season, and he is likely to start this year at No. 3.
Classmate Cody Cortes, the younger brother of former women's player Casey Cortes, played in every match last season, and he even picked up a win at No. 1. He's a relentless fighter who continued to improve through the season.
Sophomore Spencer Anton had unquestionably the win of the year last season, when he defeated Yale at the No. 1 spot during the regular season. He suffered an injury late in that match that basically cost him the rest of the season — he played once during the team championships — but Wilkinson believes that he and Cortes should make a powerful pairing in the middle of the lineup.
Speaking of power in the middle of the lineup, there are few players Wilkinson will trust more than his co-captain, Shah. The junior won 10 matches in both of his first two seasons, and he swept a home weekend against powerhouses Rochester and St. Lawrence last season.
The trio likely to comprise the rest of the Top 7 comes from the freshman class that has both energized and strengthened this Princeton lineup.
The top two spots this weekend will likely belong to Adithya Raghavan and Gabriel Morgan, both of whom competed at the World Junior Championships this past summer. Raghavan, who had an impressive win over Penn's Marwan Mahmoud at the Ivy Scrimmages, won the U15 and U17 National Junior Championship and has been ranked atop his age group in India nationally.
Morgan is a member of the U.S. Squash National Junior Men's Team, and he has played at the World Junior Championships in each of the past two summers. Morgan won the 2012 U.S. national championship, becoming the first player from California to do so, and he has been consistently ranked in the Top 5 in his age class.
Wilkinson knew what he had in that pair, and nothing this preseason has led him to believe that his optimism was unfounded. However, it has been the play of Shehab Thabet, likely one of the youngest players in the nation, that has truly surprised the fourth-year head coach. Thabet has been ranked in the Top 10 in Egypt at both the U15 and U17 levels, so it's not like he didn't come with credentials, but Wilkinson wasn't sure how long it would take for him to be able to handle the collegiate game.
The answer: Immediately.
So if that is Princeton's Top 7, it opens the door for a handful of players to create a poweful floor to the Tiger lineup. Three options to watch early are Leizman, as well as the junior duo of Jarryd Osborne and Komron Shayegan.
Leizman is the veteran in the lineup, and he's had his share of important wins, including a victory over Penn two seasons ago. Osborne has battled one injury after another, but he has had a productive preseason and still possesses the talent to be a strong player. Shayegan jumped into the middle of the lineup last year and tested himself against far more experienced players. Whatever lessons he learned then will certainly benefit him now. Sophomores William Oon and Adham El Sherbiny could also factor here.
It isn't easy to jump up a tier, especially in this new era of men's college squash. But none of this has been easy for Princeton over the last three years, and that's why they may just be tough enough to do it.
Wilkinson and Leizman came in after Princeton won back-to-back Ivy League titles, and after its Hall of Fame head coach Bob Callahan '77 was forced to retire due to a tumor that would ultimately end his life far too soon. Shah came in one year later, and jumped into the starting lineup as soon as he arrived on campus.
The trio has lost far more than it liked over their time at Princeton, and more than enough to break most people — and most programs.
Yet, here they stand.
And behind them is an armada of young talent, ready to fight, ready to bring the Tigers back to the main table.
The Princeton men's squash team opens its 2016-17 season this weekend, and the Tigers will get an immediate read on where they truly stand. They enter the season ranked 12th in the CSA preseason poll; they'll host No. 13 Franklin & Marshall Saturday, and they'll host No. 11 George Washington Sunday. Both matches will be streamed live on the Ivy League Digital Network.
There is a good chance that Wilkinson will send six underclassmen, including three freshmen, into the top seven spots in his lineup this weekend. It's a tough challenge for such a young lineup, but Wilkinson is excited to see how his group handles the challenge.
The three sophomores expected to compete in the top seven are the same who played the 1-2-3 spots to open last season. Clark Doyle played No. 1 most of last season and took his lumps, and he seems far stronger because of it. Doyle also had some impressive wins at No. 2 last season, and he is likely to start this year at No. 3.
Classmate Cody Cortes, the younger brother of former women's player Casey Cortes, played in every match last season, and he even picked up a win at No. 1. He's a relentless fighter who continued to improve through the season.
Sophomore Spencer Anton had unquestionably the win of the year last season, when he defeated Yale at the No. 1 spot during the regular season. He suffered an injury late in that match that basically cost him the rest of the season — he played once during the team championships — but Wilkinson believes that he and Cortes should make a powerful pairing in the middle of the lineup.
Speaking of power in the middle of the lineup, there are few players Wilkinson will trust more than his co-captain, Shah. The junior won 10 matches in both of his first two seasons, and he swept a home weekend against powerhouses Rochester and St. Lawrence last season.
The trio likely to comprise the rest of the Top 7 comes from the freshman class that has both energized and strengthened this Princeton lineup.
The top two spots this weekend will likely belong to Adithya Raghavan and Gabriel Morgan, both of whom competed at the World Junior Championships this past summer. Raghavan, who had an impressive win over Penn's Marwan Mahmoud at the Ivy Scrimmages, won the U15 and U17 National Junior Championship and has been ranked atop his age group in India nationally.
Morgan is a member of the U.S. Squash National Junior Men's Team, and he has played at the World Junior Championships in each of the past two summers. Morgan won the 2012 U.S. national championship, becoming the first player from California to do so, and he has been consistently ranked in the Top 5 in his age class.
Wilkinson knew what he had in that pair, and nothing this preseason has led him to believe that his optimism was unfounded. However, it has been the play of Shehab Thabet, likely one of the youngest players in the nation, that has truly surprised the fourth-year head coach. Thabet has been ranked in the Top 10 in Egypt at both the U15 and U17 levels, so it's not like he didn't come with credentials, but Wilkinson wasn't sure how long it would take for him to be able to handle the collegiate game.
The answer: Immediately.
So if that is Princeton's Top 7, it opens the door for a handful of players to create a poweful floor to the Tiger lineup. Three options to watch early are Leizman, as well as the junior duo of Jarryd Osborne and Komron Shayegan.
Leizman is the veteran in the lineup, and he's had his share of important wins, including a victory over Penn two seasons ago. Osborne has battled one injury after another, but he has had a productive preseason and still possesses the talent to be a strong player. Shayegan jumped into the middle of the lineup last year and tested himself against far more experienced players. Whatever lessons he learned then will certainly benefit him now. Sophomores William Oon and Adham El Sherbiny could also factor here.
It isn't easy to jump up a tier, especially in this new era of men's college squash. But none of this has been easy for Princeton over the last three years, and that's why they may just be tough enough to do it.
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