Jan. 9, 2012

ANNAPOLIS, Md. —  The 15th-ranked Navy squash team will look to add to its three-match winning streak when it returns to the court to face 16th-ranked Columbia and 17th-ranked George Washington in Annapolis on back-to-back nights.  The 15-4 Midshipmen will battle Columbia on Tuesday and George Washington on Wednesday with both matches beginning at 5:00 pm at the Halsey Field House International Squash Courts.

The Midshipmen spent the weekend traveling the state of Maine where they picked up wins over No. 20 Bowdoin (9-0), No. 23 Colby (8-1) and No. 19 Bates (7-2).  Seven players pitched 3-0 records over the weekend, while sophomore Hunter Beck (Lafayette Hill, Pa.) turned in a flawless 2-0 mark as the Mids secured three solid victories.

Freshman Andrew McGuinness (Merion Station, Pa.) improved to 12-4 on the year as the Mids’ top player.  After sweeping Bowdoin’s Andrew Hilboldt in three on Friday evening, McGuinness needed an extra game to post victories over his Colby and Bates competition.  

Fellow freshman Jim Kacergis (Malvern, Pa.) also turned in a 3-0 mark against his Maine-based foes, including a spectacular come-from-behind victory over Bates’ R.J. Keating.  After dropping his first two games of the match, 12-10, he came back to win the next three, 11-5, 11-7, 11-4 to win the match at the No. 3 slot.

Hunter Abrams (Wilminton, Del.), another member of the phenomenal freshman class, pushed up to play the No. 4 position over the weekend where he now stands 8-0 on the year.  Like Kacergis, Abrams was forced to fight his way out of a jam against Bates to earn the win.  After winning the opening game, 13-11, Abrams fell in games two and three to Eric Bedell.  Abrams, however, knotted the match at 2-2 with an 11-9 game four win before taking the match with a 13-11 victory in game five.

Abrams’ older brother Billy, meanwhile, pushed his record to 8-1 which features a six-match winning streak thanks to his three wins over the weekend at the No. 6 slot.  Each of Abrams’ last five wins have been in three games, as he totes a 12-1 record.

Freshman Colin Barry (St. Louis, Mo.), who has won a team-best 14 matches this season, moved back to the No. 5 slot this week where he won all three of his matches.  

Team captain John Tracey (Owings Mills, Md.) and junior John Richey (West Hartford, Conn.) both recorded 3-0 marks.  Tracey, who boasts a 12-4 record this season, is the winningest player during Craig Dawson’s 12-year tenure in terms of winning percentage.  Tracey has amassed a 45-7 record during his four seasons for a blistering 86.5 winning percentage.

With a 61-19 record, Richey has more career wins than any other player on the current Navy roster.  He stands ninth on the wins list under Dawson’s direction, just one behind 2005 graduate Gavin Morrison.

Navy owns a 20-0 record against Columbia, however, the Lions became a varsity program just a year ago and have already become a team to take notice of with a No. 16 ranking just behind the Mids.  Columbia enters Tuesday’s match with a 1-2 record, defeating Bates 7-2, while dropping decisions to Cornell and St. Lawrence.  This will be the Lions’ first match since their win over Bates on Dec. 4.

The Midshipmen hold a 19-0 advantage over neighboring George Washington, including a 14-0 mark in games played in Annapolis.  Last year’s match was nearly went down to the wire with Navy scoring a 6-3 decision over the Colonials in Washington, D.C.


### Go Navy ###