The varsity boys squash team started their season competing against Westminster School, Avon Old Farms, Loomis Chaffee School, and Suffield Academy in the WALKS Tournament on Wednesday, Nov. 28.
Head Coach Robby Lingashi said that the team did great, and it was a good start to the season. He also said that sophomore Henry Krieble did well in the WALKS Tournament.
The boys played Williston Northampton School on Saturday, Dec. 8. They played hard but couldn’t come up with the win and lost with a score of 4-3.
The team did not lose a lot of players from last year, making them an experienced team. Coach Lingashi said that since the team has such experienced players from the previous year, they have a better chance of doing well this year.
Coach Lingashi said that the team’s strength is commitment, and he said that everyone wants to do well. “Last year we came second in our league, and we want to do better,” he said.
Co-captain Nick Choo said that this year they are one of the younger teams in the league. He also said that the bottom half of the ladder has greatly improved since last year, and he is excited to see their progress throughout the season.
Choo said that the goal of the year is winning the New England championship, and he thinks that the team has a really good chance of accomplishing this goal. He said that the team is really close and everyone is good friends, which makes practice fun. “The bond between the team is great,” he said.
Coach Lingashi mentioned that the team needs more playtime to get loose and into the squash mindset. He said the team is on the right track for a very successful and competitive season. There are four new players on the team this year, and they have all been warmly welcomed onto the team in part because of the great leadership on the team. “There is amazing leadership on the team from our two captains: [junior] Nick Choo and [senior] Aidan Shea,” Coach Lingashi said.
Choo said the team needs to have a stronger mindset before the games. The players need to be confident in their training. “The team is very dedicated and works hard at practices,” he said. “The team just needs to be optimistic going into matches.”
Choo said that Kreible has played a huge role on this team, playing on the varsity team since eighth grade. He said that Krieble has improved a lot skillwise and in his mental game. “Henry has improved dramatically,” Choo said. “He can be a future leader of the team.”
