The Kingswood Oxford boys squash team has started the season off strong with a 5-1 record. The team is led by senior Co-captains Jack Krieble and Ryan Sadowsky, who have both set out to put their team in the best position to win.
“Every day, I have to be a positive role model as the captain of this team,” Krieble said. “I can’t get upset when I lose a point because that will teach the younger players that it is okay to get mad.”
Having only graduated two seniors at the end of last season, the team was bound for success. Krieble has continued to prove that his role as the number one player for the squash team is well-deserved, as he continues to excel in that role. Sophomore Cole Keegan and junior Ciaran Concepcion have also had to step into big roles this season, and have competed well in key matches.
The team started out the year with a big scrimmage against the WALKS schools, an organization of Connecticut private schools that includes Westminster, Avon Old Farms, Loomis Chaffee, KO, and Suffield Academy. The scrimmage was a great opportunity for the team to showcase their skills in a low-stress environment. “It was fun to have an early season matchup to get our heads ready to compete,” Concepcion said. They were lucky enough to play against top competition early on in the season.
The highlight of the team’s season so far happened in their match against Suffield Academy. Although they were missing their number two and three players that day, the team was still able to pull out a 6-1 victory. Krieble dominated his match, while eighth-grader Ryan Lingashi, who had to step into a number two spot, also won 3-0. Senior Owen Roy and Concepcion also won their matches 3-0. Other contributors to the team’s big win were sophomore Ashton Binalla and senior Jacob Barash. “It was great to see my team do so well without me playing,” Keegan said.
Most recently the team went on to a three team trimatch with Avon Old Farms, and Choate. The team beat Avon 7-0, but lost to Choate 7-0. Even though Choate is seeded much higher than them they were able to compete against the highest level of opponents.
The team is going to try and continue this hot stretch with big matches coming up against teams such as Loomis Chaffee and Millbrook School, along with the big New England Championships at the end of the season. When asked how much the team has improved from last year Coach Robby Lingashi said, “we have a really strong team this year as opposed to last year when we were weaker on the bottom, and everyone has improved greatly.” With this much improvement the team is looking for a big push at New England’s.
Good luck to Kingswood Oxford boys squash with the rest of their season!
