2018-19 Men's Squash Season Preview

Led by an experienced group of returning players in addition to a solid incoming class, the Middlebury men's squash program has high expectations headed into the 2018-19 season. Last winter, the men posted a record of 9-12 against a very difficult schedule and finished the year ranked 19th nationally and third in the NESCAC.

Guided by two-time NESCAC Coach of the Year Mark Lewis, who earned the honor last winter, he enters his fourth year with a deep and seasoned lineup.

The squad will be led by juniors William Cembalest, Jacob Ellen and Jack Kagan in the upper-third of the ladder. Cembalest, a First-Team All-NESCAC selection last winter, tallied a 7-14 record in the top spot of the ladder and competed at the CSA Individual Championships.

A two-time Second-Team All-NESCAC honoree, Ellen is one of this year's captain after posting a 10-10 mark in the No. 2 slot a season ago. He started the season with five victories in his first six matches, posting a 5-2 record during the seven NESCAC contests.

Kagan concluded his second season with a 14-10 record mainly in the third spot, including a trio of victories during the CSA Team Championships. He also represented Middlebury at the CSA Individual Championships. Kagan will join the team in January after spending the fall semester studying abroad.

Sophomore Wiatt Hinton put together an 11-10 record a season ago in the middle of the ladder, winning all three of his matches during the CSA Team Championships. Classmate John Epley was second on the team in wins a season ago, ending his first campaign with a 13-7 mark in the sixth position, claiming victories in the final three contests of 2017-18.

Second-year Panther Alex Merrill went 6-9 during his first season at No. 7, going 2-1 during his last three matches. Junior captain Thomas Wolpow played in four different spots at the bottom of the lineup with a 9-12 mark a season ago.

Junior captain Nick Bermingham and sophomore Finlay McInerney, along with some first-year players will fight for ladder spots this winter.

The Panthers' slate opens with a home weekend featuring matches against Navy on Friday, November 30 and Tufts on Saturday, December 1. Middlebury plays a total of 10 matches during the month of January, with five of them at home and five on the road. Another key date on the schedule is the NESCAC Championships, hosted by the Panthers from Friday, February 1 through Sunday, February 3.