Having secured a third place finish at the US National Squash Tournament, the boys squash team headed to New Englands on Sunday, March 2, coming in third after a loss to St. Mark’s School.
Led by Coach Robby Lingashi and senior Co-captains No. 2 Jack Krieble and No. 6 Ryan Sadowsky, the team is focused on showcasing their growth as both players and as teammates.
The success of the Wyvern’s lineup was seen at the National Squash Championships in Philadelphia, Penn., where KO’s varsity squad came in third place in the Division III playoffs, ending the weekend with a match record of 4-3. This achievement added momentum to the team’s end-of-season matches and resulted in their first-seed ranking for their postseason.
Entering New Englands as the No. 1 seed in Class C, Krieble shared that a goal was to win the tournament, but it was more important that everyone left their matches knowing they gave their all.
The team beat Greens Farms Academy in the quarterfinals 6-1 with eighth-grader No. 2 Quinn Waldron, Krieble, eighth-grader No. 3 Ryan Lingashi, sophomore No. 5 Ashton Binalla, and Sadowsky all winning their matches. The team suffered a tough 5-2 loss to St. Mark’s in the semifinals.
With a final regular season record of 8-3, the team has had a successful season, winning many key matches through which everybody was able to grow. “I think we had a really strong season full of some incredible play across the board,” Sadowsky said.
The biggest improvement since the start of the season has been in decision-making. Sadowsky noted how improvements in game knowledge helped the team tremendously. “At the beginning of the season we were all very good technically but lacked some of the gameplay knowledge,” he noted. “Through watching top players and coaching from Coach Lingashi, we learned a lot about positioning and when to hit certain shots. Once we got that part of the game down, we had a fantastic season.”
The team has done a good job of working hard in practice and supporting one another. “The team has done super well with supporting each other,” Krieble said. “And not just the top players on the team—everyone has been doing a great job giving helpful advice to other players during their matches, and cheering them on while they play.” Sadowsky agreed, noting how everybody does a good job picking each other up after tough losses
The team has a large gap in terms of both age and experience. One key player on the team is Binalla, who, in just his first year on varsity, has made a big impact. “This is the first time Ashton has been on varsity, and he’s been doing well in his matches and has proved to be influential at times,” Krieble said.
Other key players are sophomore No. 1 Cole Keegan, who has been crucial to the team’s wins, and Waldron who has pulled out wins in a number of close matches. “He [Waldron] works at his game more than anyone else on the team and it’s really showing through his quick development,” Krieble said. Another key player is Krieble, who has played at the number one, two, and three positions on the ladder, and has been productive.
Overall, the team has had a fantastic season, and with younger impact players in the ranks, they will be a force next season as well.
