Leading the way for Dartmouth in the A division, Ashley Malenchak '08 continued her rise to the top of the collegiate squash world. After playing at the No. 1 spot for the Big Green women at the end of the regular season and the Howe Cup, Malenchak was able to move into the final 16 this weekend at Amherst College.
Although she advanced no further, her performance will likely make her the Big Green's sole All-American.
The tournament consisted of a field of 64 men and women who battled each other in four divisions. For the men, there was no surprise victor, as Princeton University's superstar No. 1 Yasser el Halaby took the men's title for an unprecedented fourth straight year, an all-time record.
Domination was not the word for El Halaby's victory over Harvard's Sid Suche, as he dispelled of him in less than forty minutes. El Halaby will be a force to be reckoned with in the professional squash world for years to come.
Harvard University's Lilly Lorentzen walked away with the women's title squandering a 2-0 match lead before defeating her teammate Kyla Grigg 9-7 in the fifth set.
Aside from Malenchak, perennial Dartmouth powerhouse Julia Drury '06, who played at No. 1 for most of the 2005-2006 campaign, was also a participant in the Championships. Julia qualified for the prestigious first division of 32, but failed to advance any further.
The Big Green Men were represented by freshman sensation Andrew Boumford '09 and Todd Wood '07 in the A division, but neither could advance past the initial division of 32, a disappointing result for the young Boumford.
The Dartmouth men were also well-accounted for in the B division, where senior captain Adam Slutsky '06 reached the consolation final before falling to Williams College's Tripp Williams 3-1 in the finale. For the Big Green women in the B division, Rebecca Loucks '08 placed fourth while freshman star Madeline Lurio '09 and Heather Lisle '07 placed in the 9-16 range.
Although the results in the A division may have been a bit disappointing for the Big Green this weekend, the players will look to head coach John Power and assistant coach David Heath to assist in their maturation as collegiate players. Next year should bring about more success for both the Big Green team and individual players.
If the play of this year's underclassmen shows anything, it is that the Dartmouth is well prepared to head into next year looking to take a swipe at all of its competitors.
