The men and women's squash teams travel to Brown this weekend to begin official competition. Each team has played a number of matches in early season scrimmages, but both teams begin official play this weekend.
The women opened their season Nov. 12 at the Ivy Scrimmage. The team finished the weekend a disappointing 0-5. The Big Green lost, 4-5, to the University of Pennsylvania and was surprised by a revitalized Brown team.
But Dartmouth's performance is a bit misleading. The Ivy League traditionally dominates the national squash ranking and is usually the source of the national champion. The Big Green also played the defending national champion Harvard and the heir apparent, an undefeated Princeton squad.
The men went 2-3 at the NISRA tournament at Yale on the weekend of Nov. 5. After beating Cornell and Vassar, they lost a close game to Brown, 4-5, leaving the Big Green ready for revenge.
"They match up well against Brown and have the potential to win, 9-0," Coach Chris Brownell said. "This will be a good test for all of them. We have a lot of depth at the top of our line-up."
The men are led by Scott Hammond '96 and Russell Echov '97. Russell turned in a powerful performance, with a 4-1 record. The team also has one other freshmen player in David Belden, who adds to an already deep lineup.
The women's team has only one freshmen, Brady Beale, but was joined by two walk-ons -- Betsy Allen '96 and Lisa Kang '94. The team is led by Co-Captain Sasha Greatrex '95 who will take on Brown's Ali Keil this weekend.
"The women have been practicing all week on the things they need to work on individually," Brownell said. "I think they will be surprised by their results."
Both teams should have exciting seasons and the Big Green should find itself poised in the top 10 by the end of the season.
