2008-09 Men's Squash Season Outlook

The Williams men's squash team has big shoes to fill this year having lost #1 Jon Barry, #3 Tony Maruca and #6 Morgan Phillips to graduation. The class of 2008 ended the season strong to lift the Ephs to a very successful 7th place finish at the national championships and a 13-10 record.

The 2008-2009 Eph squad hopes that strong leadership from senior captains George Miller and Bucky Marshall, big improvements from the returning players, and new talent from the freshman will make up for the graduation losses.

If his performance in the squad’s rigorous preseason training is any indication, freshman Will Morris will be a big factor in the team’s success this season. “I wanna win!” was Morris’ only comment. Freshman Jared Zuckerman could also have a big impact towards the bottom of the ladder.  If the other freshman Aaron Seong, Mike Pizzi, and Gavin Mcintire continue to improve at the rate they have during preseason, don’t be surprised to see them cracking the line-up later this season. The preliminary Eph lineup is as follows:

1.    Ethan Buchsbaum ‘10
2.    Will Morris ‘12
3.    Will Gruner ‘11
4.    Christian Henze ‘10
5.    Bernard Yaros ‘10
6.    George Miller ‘09
7.    Jeremy Herrmann ‘11
8.    Cameron Henry ‘09
9.    Jared Zuckerman ‘12
10.    Bucky Marshall ‘09

The line-up is prone to change, as the team will be playing two challenge matches per week until the first regualr season matches later this month.

George Miller, who had a very successful season at number four last year, is expected to be in the mix for one of the top four places along with Ethan Buchsbaum, Will Morris, and Will Gruner. Christian Henze, Bernard Yaros, and Jeremy Herrmann had productive off-seasons and look like they will reach the higher level of play expected from them this season.

Captain Bucky Marshall, out last season with an ankle injury, hopes to shore up the bottom of the lineup. Marshall, when asked about his personal expectations for this season responded: “It hurts so good.”
   
There will be stiff competition for the Ephs to maintain their ranking and even to stay in the A Division at nationals this year. The Ephs will be vying for the bottom two spots in the A draw with Dartmouth, Cornell, and University of Western Ontario. “We need to beat Cornell and Dartmouth this year if we want to stay in the top eight,” said head coach Zafi Levy. “We’re the underdogs again this year, which is okay with me because it gives the boys that extra drive.”

The team has been displaying the drive coach Levy refers to in its rigorous preseason captain’s practices. Sophomore Eli Bronfman, commented: “Yeah, the intensity level is higher than it was at this time last year.” The Ephs are determined to prove it can rise to the occasion and maintain or improve last year’s level of play. 

The Ephs will open the 2008-09 season on the road November 23rd when they travel to Cambridge, Mass., to play Harvard (1:00 PM) and Tufts (4:00 PM).