Yale’s top five men’s and women’s squash players will travel south to Penn this weekend to compete in the College Squash Association’s Individual Championships.

Neil Martin ’14, Sam Fenwick ’16, Zach Leman ’16, TJ Dembinski ’17 and Kah Wah Cheong ’17 will represent the Eli men while Millie Tomlinson ’14, Kim Hay ’14, Shihui Mao ’15, Issey Norman-Ross ’15 and Jenny Scherl ’17 will come from the women’s team. These 10 athletes will play in the A Division.

“Individuals are a great opportunity for the best players in the country to compete,” Martin said. “I’m looking to overturn a few results from earlier this season and continue to represent Yale to the best of my ability.”

Martin said that his teammates were also excited for the weekend’s action.

This weekend’s matches will be Martin’s last as a Bulldog. Of the top 10 men and women, Martin, Tomlinson and Hay will be graduating this year.

Shiyuan Mao ’17 and Annie Ballaine ’16 have had strong seasons on the women’s team and will represent Yale in the B Division of championships.

Shihui Mao said she believes Tomlinson and Hay have potential to do well in the A Division and that Shiyuan Mao and Ballaine would come away with big wins in the B Division.

“I am looking forward to just playing for the love of the game this weekend with nothing to lose,” Scherl said.

The Bulldogs will be facing top players from rival teams Harvard and Trinity, amongst other squads.

Dembinski agreed with Scherl that the individual competition would be low stakes compared to the team championships.

“I’m really looking forward to the chance to compete,” Dembinski said. “I want to play my best, and I hope to finish the tournament as an All-American.”

In the most current national rankings, Martin is No. 14. Fenwick, Leman and Dembinski hold positions 21, 22 and 23, respectively, and Cheong is ranked at No. 25.

From the women’s team, Tomlinson holds the third rank. Hay is ranked No. 10, and Mao, Norman-Ross and Scherl are at the 16th, 18th and 24th ranks, respectively.

 

ERICA PANDEY