Columbia Lions men's squash
| Columbia Lions | |
|---|---|
| First season | 2010–2011 |
| Head coach |
Jacques Swanepoel 7th season, 12–4 (.750) |
| Location | Manhattan, NY |
| League | College Squash Association |
| Conference | Ivy League |
| All-time record | 68–50 (.576) |
| All-Americans | 3 |
| Colors |
Columbia Blue and White[1] |
| Fight song | Roar, Lion, Roar |
| Mascot | Roaree the Lion |
| Website |
www |
The Columbia Lions men's squash team is the intercollegiate men's squash team for Columbia University located in Manhattan, New York. The team competes in the Ivy League within College Squash Association. The university first fielded a varsity team in 2010, under the leadership of head coach Jacques Swanepoel. Swanepoel is the head coach to date, with assistance from coaches Alister Walker, former world No. 12, and Joanne Schickerling.
History
Columbia's men's squash team went varsity before the 2010-11 season under South African head coach Jacques Swanepoel. The men's team finished their first campaign 13-6 overall and won the consolation bracket of the Summers Cup (C Division) to finish the year ranked No. 21 overall. The Lions were presented with the Barnaby Award at the National Championship as the most improved team in college squash. Individually, two Columbia players qualified for the Men's Individual National Championship.
In their second year as a varsity program, the Columbia men's squash team had a top 10 national finish. Ramit Tandon was selected as Ivy League Co-Rookie of The Year and gained a spot on the All-Ivy League first team, the first postseason honor in program history. Tandon posted a 15-1 record this season earning a No. 2 national ranking following a runner-up finish in the 2012 CSA National Championships.
The 2012–13 season saw the men's squad post an 8-10 overall record, with conference wins over the Brown and Penn.
The team had an 8-7 season in 2013–14. It finished in the nation's top 10, following a runner-up finish in the Hoehn Cup (B Division) of the CSA National Championships.
Swanepoel was elected as the men's squash Ivy League Coach of the Year in 2014–15 after guiding the Lions to a 13-4 record and a fourth-place national finish, the program's best season in its history. The Lions had upset wins over the No. 3 [[Yale Bulldogs]|Yale] and the No. 3 Rochester, along with two more Ivy League victories, Brown and Dartmouth. Columbia earned its highest ranking in program history at No. 3 in the Dunlop National Poll by the College Squash Association on Jan. 23.
The men's squash finished tied for second-place in the Ancient Eight with a 5-2 record. For the second-straight year, the Lions competed in the Potter Cup (A Division), the top-tier bracket of the National Championships, and finished with No. 8
In 2016–17, over junior year as co-captain, #1 nationally-ranked Khalifa won a national individual championship. He was named the William V. Campbell Performer of the Year (male), Columbia University's top annual athletic award. The team finished 4th in the country, losing 5-4 to Ivy League champion Harvard in the semifinals.
Year-by-year results
Men's Squash
Updated August 2017.[2]
| Year | Wins | Losses | Pct. | Ivy League | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010–2011 | 13 | 6 | .684 | 21st | |
| 2011–2012 | 7 | 11 | .389 | 7th | 10th |
| 2012–2013 | 8 | 10 | .444 | 5th (Tie) | 12th |
| 2013–2014 | 8 | 7 | .533 | 6th | 10th |
| 2014–2015 | 13 | 4 | .765 | 2nd | 4th |
| 2015–2016 | 7 | 8 | .467 | 2nd | 8th |
| 2016–2017 | 12 | 4 | .750 | 2nd | 4th |
Players
Current roster
Updated August 2017.[3]
| # | Nat | Player | Pos | S/G | Age | Acquired | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 |  |
Attia, SeifSeif Attia | Sr. | 2014 | Cairo, Egypt | ||
| 1 | |
Khalifa, OsamaOsama Khalifa | Sr. | 2014 | Cairo, Egypt | ||
| 6 |  |
Saleem, ArhumArhum Saleem | Sr. | 2014 | Alpharetta, Georgia | ||
| |
Amin, SalmaanSalmaan Amin | Jr. | 2015 | Charlotte, North Carolina | |||
| 4 | |
Madi, AdhamAdham Madi | Jr. | 2015 | Alexandria, Egypt | ||
| |
Rebello, MatthewMatthew Rebello | Jr. | 2015 | Plano, Texas | |||
| 5 |  |
Robitaille, CarterCarter Robitaille | Jr. | 2015 | Toronto, Canada | ||
| 10 |  |
Anand, SambhavSambhav Anand | So. | 2016 | New Delhi, India | ||
| 8 | |
Mann, RobinRobin Mann | So. | 2016 | New Delhi, India | ||
| 7 | |
Sehrawat, RahulRahul Sehrawat | So. | 2016 | Toronto, Canada | ||
 |
Athar, ZainZain Athar | Fr. | 2017 | Hamburg, Germany | |||
| |
Awalt, McClainMcClain Awalt | Fr. | 2017 | Greenwich, Connecticut | |||
| |
Kapur, KrishKrish Kapur | Fr. | 2017 | Kolkata, India | |||
| |
Senthilkumar, VelavanVelavan Senthilkumar | Fr. | 2017 | Salem, India |
Notable former players
Notable alumni include:
- Ramit Tandon '15, Highest world ranking of 118, 4x All-American and 4x All-Ivy [4]
References
- ↑ "Logo – Columbia University in the City of New York". Retrieved April 1, 2016.
- ↑ https://www.ussquash.com
- ↑ "Roster".
- ↑ Ramit Tandon}