Nick Sisodia '12 and Chris Hanson '13 played in the top-32 Pool Division for the men's team, while Robbie Maycock '13, Chris Jung '14 and captain Mike Lewis '11 were in the lower-48-player Molloy Division.
The three Big Green women who earned tournament bids Valeria Wiens '13, Corey Schafer '13 and captain Hannah Conant '11 all competed in the top-group Ramsay Division.
Conant and Lewis said that when playing as an individual there is a different mindset than during normal team action.
"It is really what you want to make of it, which means there can be less pressure," Conant said. "When you are playing as a team there is more pressure because you want to win for everyone. I go into individual matches thinking there is nothing to lose and a good opportunity to play against lots of people."
Players interviewed by The Dartmouth said the atmosphere was similar to that in pre-collegiate squash circuits, in which players also compete individually.
"I give everything I have but it is always sweeter to win for the team and for the school," Lewis said.
Sisodia began the weekend by playing University of Rochester junior Benjamin Fischer in the first round. Fischer proved to be tough competition and beat Sisodia in three consecutive games, winning 11-4, 11-9 and 11-2.
In the consolation round, Sisodia faced Harvard University freshman Brandon McLaughlin. The two played a close match with several long rallies. McLaughlin pulled out the first two games, 12-10 and 11-7. Sisodia took the third game, 11-7, before dropping the final game, 11-7.
"Nick has had a problem with his ankle and foot all season and has missed some important training because of this," head coach Hansi Wiens said. "He fought hard but it was hard to stick to the plan without the highest level of fitness needed. More speed work would have helped his game."
Hanson was the most successful Big Green men's player, playing several exciting matches while advancing to the consolation finals. In the first round of 32 players, Hanson lost to Princeton University junior Kelly Shannon. Hanson won the first two games, 15-13 and 13-11, while Shannon took games three and four, 11-6 and 11-9. Hanson was unable to hold on in the fifth game and lost, 11-7.
Hanson rebounded in his next three matches, earning victories against Harvard senior Richard Hill, Yale University senior John Fulham and Franklin & Marshall University sophomore Guilherme de Melo. In the first consolation round, Hanson took down Hill in three straight games, winning 11-3, 11-8 and 11-9.
With the win, Hanson moved to the consolation quarterfinals and went to four games against Fulham, splitting the first two games before winning the third and fourth. In the consolation semifinals, Hanson battled through four close games to beat de Melo (12-10, 4-11, 12-10, 12-10) and earn his place in the finals.
In the consolation finals, Hanson fell to Rochester senior Hameed Ahmed, 3-1. Although both players have been injured this season, the match was a tight display of excellent squash on both sides. Ahmed won the first game, 11-7. Hanson fought back and won the second, 11-9, before dropping the third by a wider 11-4 margin. In the match's final game, Ahmed and Hanson went to extra points before Ahmed claimed the victory, 12-10.
"Chris was not as precise this weekend but fought hard and ran hard," Wiens said. "I am proud of him. It is not easy to play with a [back] injury and he was still able to play so well."
Hanson finished the tournament 18th overall, securing Second Team All-American honors.
Maycock, Lewis and Jung all received first-round byes in their division, and recorded victories in the round of 32. The trio lost, however, in the round of 16.
Maycock beat Williams College's William Morris in a back and forth four-game match, before losing in the round of 16 to Harvard sophomore Zeke Scherl.
Scherl had a strong start and took the first game, 11-5, before Maycock fought to even the score and take the second, 11-9. Unable to hold on, Maycock lost the next two games, 11-8 and 11-4. Scheri lost his next round match.
"Robbie is our most improved player on the team this season," Wiens said. "He gave all his opponents a run and only made a few mistakes. He will work to better his technique in the next six months and has a great future ahead of him."
Lewis easily defeated Bowdoin College senior Andrew Bernard in his first match, holding him scoreless in the first game of the matchup. Lewis then lost to Rochester junior Matt Domenick in the round of 16.
Dropping the first two games, 6-11 and 3-11, Lewis came back and won the third, 11-8. Domenick did not miss a step in the next game, however, advancing to the next round with an 11-6 victory in the fourth game.
"Mike played really, really well this weekend and all season," Wiens said. "He picked up so many balls and made only a few mistakes. It was really fun to see him play."
Jung beat St. Lawrence College senior Alex Dodge before losing to Yale junior Robert Berner in similar fashion. Jung swept Dodge, 11-6, 13-11, 11-7, but was then shut out by Berner, 11-7, 11-6, 11-5. Berner went on to lose in the next round.
"Chris is getting there," Wiens said. "There is time now to work on changing his technique. He has excellent hand-eye and foot-eye and has the potential to be one of the top players on the team and in all of college squash in the future."
Lewis said he was proud of the men's players' performance, noting that he believes their success reflected Dartmouth's reputation as one of the country's premier squash programs.
"I achieved my goal to leave everything out on the court and I played the best I could," Lewis said. "I have nothing to regret. [Hanson] played terrific and to be able to bounce back the way he did after his first round says a lot about him as a player."
Valeria Wiens was the most successful women's player, beating Yale junior Rhetta Nadas in four games during the round of 32.
Wiens lost the first game, 8-11, but gathered herself and delivered in the next three games. Wiens won, 11-3, 11-5 and 11-4, to earn a place in the round of 16.
Wiens fell in four games in the next round to Harvard junior Nirasha Gurgue, who eventually lost in the semifinals. Gurgue fought to take the first game, 11-7, before Wiens climbed back to even the score with an 11-6 win in the second. Gurgue proved to be too tough, however, and won the next two games, both by 11-3 margins.
The loss dropped Wiens into the consolation bracket, where she was again successful. In the consolation quarterfinals, Wiens defeated University of Pennsylvania senior Annie Madeira in four games. Wiens narrowly won the first game, 13-11, before more easily winning the second, 11-6. They traded two close 11-9 games before Wiens closed out the match.
Wiens was swept in the consolation semifinals by Princeton senior Jackie Moss, losing 11-7, 11-7 and 11-9.
"Valeria played well this weekend but made too many mistakes in her final match," Hansi Wiens said. "[Valeria Wiens and Madeira] were very similar and a good matchup. Her opponent was better on the day and had great ball selection."
Valeria Wiens ended her second season with the Big Green with an overall record of 12-5, finishing 11th overall in the tournament and achieving Second Team All-American status.
Conant stumbled in the first round of play against Gurgue, who took the first two games, 11-4 and 11-3, before Conant battled to keep the third game close. Conant succumbed in the final game, however, losing by a 12-10 margin.
In the first round of consolation matches, Conant beat Nadas in an exciting five-game match. Conant took the first game,11-2, dropped the second, 11-6, and won the third in a close 11-9 matchup. Conant lost the fourth game in extra points before pulling out the win in a convincing 11-3 final game.
Harvard junior Cecilia Cortes beat Conant in four games in the consolation quaterfinals, ending her collegiate career. Conant won the first game, 11-5, but Cortes came back to take the next three, 13-11, 11-3, 11-9. Conant ended her final season with the Big Green with a 9-8 overall record.
"Hannah prepared all summer and should be happy with her season overall," Hansi Wiens said. "She struggled this weekend as playing two games a day is much different than just one. She had an easy time with her first match of the day but was unlucky and could not follow up and finish the second match."
Conant said all three women's players performed well over the weekend, adding that she feels bittersweet about her collegiate career ending.
"We met some very challenging competitors in the first round," she said. "It was a nice opportunity to play against girls that are better than us to see how we stand. As much as my body needs a break, I will really miss playing and miss the team. Everyone has been so supportive this weekend."
Schafer had a tough weekend, losing both her matches. In the round of 32, Princeton sophomore Julie Cerullo swept Schafer, 11-7, 11-3, 11-6.
In the consolation round, Schafer took Harvard senior June Tiong to four games, with Tiong winning the first two games, 11-8 and 11-7. Scahfer then won her only game of the weekend, 13-11, forcing the match to continue. Tiong won the match, however, with an 11-5 fourth-game victory and advanced in the consolation bracket before losing in the semifinals.
"Corey is a hard worker and pushed hard," Hansi Wiens said. "She has to work on her technique and be able to have different patterns of play. Also, we all need to work better together and communicate during the match."
Hansi Wiens said he was proud of the Big Green players' performances at the tournament, noting that he was impressed by the overall squash display of the weekend.
"We could have done better but we also could have done worse," Hansi Wiens said. "We had a long season with lots of practice and some players were burnt out. Everyone had a lot of fun and wow, there was some really good squash this year. The top players were so much better than last year."
Yale freshman Camilla Tomlinson won the women's A division, while Princeton sophomore Todd Harrity won the men's A division.
