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BY ANDREW GREENBLATT

In print | Published October 29, 2009

Squash team revamps, eyes Haverford

This year’s version of the Swarthmore squash team is almost unrecognizable when compared to last year’s upstart crew.

The squad kicked off its first complete season with two wins on Saturday at the Springfield HealthPlex.

They handled Siena College with a score of 9-0 and squeaked out a victory over Bard College in a 5-4 decision.

The team, which last year played best-of-five-set matches because of its small numbers, has added four new players and now can engage in the traditional best-of-9-set squash format.

Newcomers John Bukawyn ’12, Weston Honicker ’13, Jake Carter ’13 and Peter Haury ’13 have taken to the squash court this year alongside returners Tarit Rao-Chakravorti ’12, Jora Dhaliwal ’12, Jason Honln Yun ’12, Manuk Garg ’12 and Rakan Nimr ’12.

Also a new addition from last year is coach Enamullah Khan.

Khan, a member of the self-proclaimed “Khan Dynasty of Squash,” played professionally for 20 years and is regarded by some as one of premier teaching professionals on the national squash circuit.

Khan’s family history of elite squash prominence could prove to be crucial for the fledgling Swarthmore effort.

The British Open Squash Championship has been won by a Khan 29 times since its establishment in 1930.

The squash team will next play against Tri-Co rival Haverford’s varsity team (6-10 last season) on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Rugby trounces Fords in the mud

The rugby team unleashed a 42-0 drubbing on rival Haverford (0-4) on Saturday at Swarthmore’s Cunningham Field.

The win was the largest margin of victory for the program in four years, and it came in muddy and messy conditions.

Although Swarthmore was no fair match for Haverford (Swarthmore lent players to the Haverford side in order to play a full game), the squad was happy to initiate a blowout in what is traditionally “a pretty close game,” according to captain Yannick Lanner-Cusin ’10.

The senior-laden roster is excited at the prospect of making the post-season for the first time in several years.

“We know we can compete with schools drawing from thousands of students,” captain Jake Baskin ’10 said.

They will need to, considering their last two matches are on the road against two programs that draw from larger populations for talent than tiny Swarthmore, a disadvantage at small institutions that plagues varsity and club athletes alike.

Swarthmore (2-2) will face Lafayette (2-2) on Saturday and Widener (4-0) on Nov. 7.

The road to the playoffs won’t be easy. Widener won the Eastern Pennsylvania Rugby Union Division III Championship in 2008.

Swarthmore, which is tied for fourth place with Lafayette in the seven-team Division III East field of the College division, needs two more wins to clinch a berth in the EPRU playoffs.

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