The top 32 men in the nation competed in the Pool Division, and Dartmouth's Chris Hanson '13 and Nick Sisodia '12 earned spots in the top bracket. Hanson opened the tournament on Friday against Princeton University freshman Samuel Kang. Hanson and Kang battled for five games, but Kang eventually emerged victorious. Hanson snagged the opener, 11-9, fell, 5-11, in the second, edged out Kang, 13-11, in the third and succumbed, 11-6 and 11-4, in the last two games.
Hanson, who had pulled his hamstring during the third game against Kang, pulled out of the tournament after the loss to avoid further injury.
Sisodia opened his weekend with a loss in the first round but bounced back to win his next three matches. Princeton freshman Tyler Osborne ousted Sisodia from the main bracket in three straight games, 11-3, 11-7, 11-5. In Sisodia's next match against sophomore Mauricio Sedano of Franklin & Marshall College, he allowed Sedano only one game while advancing to the consolation quarterfinals. On Saturday, Sisodia overcame Cornell junior Nicholas Sachvie with ease, taking him down 11-3, 11-5, 11-7.
"Nick's 3-0 win against Cornell's No. 1 [Sachvie] was probably considered an upset by many people," Dartmouth head coach Hansi Wiens said.
Sisodia's closest match came in the consolation semifinals against Trinity College junior Johan Detter. Sisodia won the first game, 11-6, but Detter rebounded back and snuck out a pair of 11-8 wins in the second and third games. Sisodia held on to take the fourth, 11-8. Then, with the score knotted at two games apiece, he edged out Detter, 11-9, to take the win and move on to the consolation finals against Princeton senior Christopher Callis.
"The atmosphere [in the Detter match] was great and the crowd really enjoyed it," Wiens said.
Callis took the consolation final in three games on Sunday, prevailing 11-7, 11-6, 11-4. With the loss, Sisodia finished in 18th place in the tournament.
"Callis is one of my oldest, oldest friends from junior squash," Sisodia said. "We have played many, many times before and I won the last time, he won the time before that, I won before that, he won before that; so it is fitting that our college rivalry will be the last match for both our careers."
Wiens said that he was pleased with Sisodia's performance in the tournament and that a matchup with Callis, one of national-champion Princeton's top players, is always going to be tough.
The Molloy Division consisted of the second tier of men in the tournament, including Robbie Maycock '13, Luke Lee '12 and Chris Jung '14. Maycock earned a bye in the round of 64 players and played his first match in the round of 32 against Trinity sophomore Matthew Mackin. Mackin topped Maycock in four tight games. Mackin won the first, 11-7, but Maycock responded and took the second, 11-9. Mackin swept up the last two games, 11-8 and 12-10.
In the consolation bracket for players eliminated in the round of 32, Maycock fell to senior Valentin Quan of Middlebury College in three straight games but refused to go down without a fight, losing 11-6, 12-10, 11-8.
"Robbie was a little tired, but pushed through and played hard," Wiens said. "He had a very tough draw and had to face players ranked above him and couldn't pull through with a win."
Lee also received a bye in the opening round and was victorious in his first match in the round of 32. Lee ousted Brown University senior Brad Thompson in four games. Lee opened with a pair of wins, 11-9 and 11-7, dropped the third, 10-12, but did not allow Thompson any breathing room and ended the match, 11-9, in the fourth.
The competition got more difficult in the round of 16, however, as Brown sophomore Blake Reinson knocked Lee out of the main draw. The two battled back and forth for five games, with Lee taking the first, 11-7, Reinson the second, 11-5, Lee the third, 11-7, and finally Reinson netting both the fourth and fifth games, 11-9 and 11-7. Reinson advanced to the quarterfinals against Mackin, who knocked Maycock out in the round of 32.
"Luke played fantastic squash and showed that he is really capable of beating higher-ranked players with how creative and how skilled he can play," Wiens said.
Jung played in the round of 64 and easily won his match against Ithaca College's Bradley Kolodner, 11-2, 11-3, 11-0. The next round posed a bit more of a challenge against Middlebury junior Jay Dolan, but Jung still took Dolan down in three games, 11-7, 14-12, 11-6. The round of 16 was as far as Jung advanced, however, as Princeton senior Clay Blackiston ended his run. Blackiston allowed Jung only 17 points in the three games he won.
"Chris has learned a lot in the past and still has a lot to learn," Wiens said. "He enjoys practice and is ready to push hard and step it up next year as a junior. He is capable of being one of the team's leaders next season."
Sisodia said he was proud of the way his teammates Lee and Jung played over the weekend.
"I didn't get to watch everyone play, but Luke and Chris really played solid, controlled squash," Sisodia said. "They came up against opponents who didn't really fit their styles that well, and I think that was the breaking point."
On the women's side, Corey Schafer '13 earned a spot among the elite 32 in the Ramsay Division. Schafer competed against Princeton sophomore Elizabeth Eyre, but Eyre proved the stronger player on the day, taking the match in three straight games, 11-2, 11-4, 11-6.
In the consolation bracket, Schafer faced another Princeton sophomore, Alexandra Sawin. The match opened with a tight first game that Sawin took, 12-10. Sawin also won the second, 11-6, but Schafer forced the match to continue with her 11-8 victory in the third. Sawin ended the match in another close game, 14-12, in the fourth.
"Corey had a fantastic two matches with close games," Wiens said. "She is really a fighter and showed that she always works hard."
Melina Turk '14 and Becky Lau '13 both battled their way through the Holleran Division, which featured the Championships' second tier of women players.
Turk rolled through her first-round match in the round of 64 against Hamilton College senior Alyssa Bawden, winning 11-4, 11-8, 11-8.
The round of 32 posed more of a challenge, as Middlebury senior Elena Laird topped Turk, 11-9, 15-13, 11-4.
Turk fared more favorably in her consolation bracket match against Mount Holyoke College sophomore Randima Ranaweera. Turk won, 11-9, 12-10, 11-6, to earn herself another match. Turk's run ended in her consolation quarterfinal match against George Washington University sophomore Jacqueline Shea. Shea won the opening game, 11-8, and Turk equalized with an 11-5 win in the second. Shea ran out the next two games, 11-4 and 11-8, to take the win.
"Melina pushed really hard and showed how much she loves and enjoyed the game," Wiens said.
Lau, the final Big Green competitor, had a bye in the round of 64 and notched a win in her first match against Brown sophomore Dori Rahbar. Lau won in straight games, 11-7, 12-10, 11-3, to move on to face Yale University freshman Shihui Mao in the round of 16. Lau tallied the first win of the match, 11-7, but Mao responded with three straight victories, 11-4, 11-7,11-4, to move on to face Penn junior Stephanie Vogel in her quarterfinal match.
"Becky beat the No. 1 from Brown [Rahbar], 3-0, in a really amazing manner," Wiens said. "She is talented, has good hands and it was fun to see her play."
Wiens said he believes the women's competition has gotten stronger each of the three years he has been at Dartmouth.
"The matches are longer, and the women are stronger year to year," Wiens said. "The quality and strength keep improving every year."
Sisodia felt less pressure in this tournament than when he is representing the Big Green in team play, he said.
"There is less pressure it is more relaxed and you can play more freely," Sisodia said. "There is a different feel with a lot of match time and less about the intros and watching your teammates and refereeing other matches after you play. You just play your match and hope for another one."
Wiens said he thinks there is a "huge difference" between playing for the team versus playing as an individual.
"It is not as serious as the team matches and is fun to see who gets matched up with who," he said. "You see lots of good matchups and fun matches too. There tend to be more emotions on the courts, and you see lots of different kinds of play."
The overall victors in each division were Ali Farag of Harvard University in the Pool Division, Vishrab Kotian of Trinity in the Molloy Division, Amanda Sobhy of Harvard in the Ramsay Division and Shihui Mao of Yale in the Holleran Division.
"We will all get back and hit the books for finals, and then in the spring, the new leadership for the 2012-2013 squash program wow that is hard to think about will take over and start training," Sisodia said. "It is bittersweet to be done, but it was great going out on a high note."
