Club squash team wins national championship
Anthony Antinore
Issue date: 3/6/09 Section: Sports
With the most important match of the year looming, Cyrkin called upon Steidle to play out of the seventh position for the team. After being down two games to one, Steidle mounted a monster comeback and took the match in five games for the Dragons.
New Delhi native Singh and future team captain Ryan secured Drexel's first Chaffee Division national title with two consecutive wins to end the match at 6-3.
The win currently has the Dragons ranked 33rd in the College Squash Association rankings for 2009 and in the top five among club squash programs in the country.
The trophy ceremony following the final match was especially emotional for the co-founders of the squash team, Cykin and Burkholder.
"As I was standing on the courts during the ceremony I looked at our awards, then looked at Evan [Cykin] and thought about where we started from just a few years ago, and now we won a national championship," Burkholder said regarding his feelings after the match.
Drexel's club squash team has only been in existence for four years and has accomplished more than the majority of collegiate sports programs in the country.
The Dragons' climb up the rankings can be partially credited to off-court friendships the players have created. These relationships have allowed them to grow as a unit rather than individuals.
"This year we can really feel a sense of cohesion amongst the players," Cykin said. "It has played a huge role in our success."
Amey Khanolkar, the team's manager and a player, thinks the diverse backgrounds of some of the players make the team especially unique.
"Our team consists of players from four different continents around the world," Khanolkar said. "You can see the different European and Asian styles when we play."
Devoted players like Jon Piezzini Rositano have been with the team its entire existence and watched it grow into an organized club program.
Another crucial proponent of the team's success this season was its training off the court. With the help of its conditioning trainer, Dan Bell, the team was able to attack this season in peak physical form.
"You could tell we had a little something extra end of games," Adam Ryan said. "Dan [Bell] came in here and really whipped us into shape."
A Chaffee Division National Championship is an unbelievable feat in itself, but with the variety of challenges this team has overcome, it may be even more impressive.
Because Drexel is still considered a club team, they do not have the ability to recruit scholarship players like many of the teams they defeated in the Chaffee Division.
The team was pleased to find out that CSA regulation squash courts with stadium seating were part of the reconstruction of the Daskalakis Athletic Center. Now the team will be able to practice on the same courts on which its home matches will be played.
The Drexel University squash team defied all odds to take a CSA Chaffee Division National Championship. A club program with so much success has the potential to become a powerhouse varsity program in the future.
New Delhi native Singh and future team captain Ryan secured Drexel's first Chaffee Division national title with two consecutive wins to end the match at 6-3.
The win currently has the Dragons ranked 33rd in the College Squash Association rankings for 2009 and in the top five among club squash programs in the country.
The trophy ceremony following the final match was especially emotional for the co-founders of the squash team, Cykin and Burkholder.
"As I was standing on the courts during the ceremony I looked at our awards, then looked at Evan [Cykin] and thought about where we started from just a few years ago, and now we won a national championship," Burkholder said regarding his feelings after the match.
Drexel's club squash team has only been in existence for four years and has accomplished more than the majority of collegiate sports programs in the country.
The Dragons' climb up the rankings can be partially credited to off-court friendships the players have created. These relationships have allowed them to grow as a unit rather than individuals.
"This year we can really feel a sense of cohesion amongst the players," Cykin said. "It has played a huge role in our success."
Amey Khanolkar, the team's manager and a player, thinks the diverse backgrounds of some of the players make the team especially unique.
"Our team consists of players from four different continents around the world," Khanolkar said. "You can see the different European and Asian styles when we play."
Devoted players like Jon Piezzini Rositano have been with the team its entire existence and watched it grow into an organized club program.
Another crucial proponent of the team's success this season was its training off the court. With the help of its conditioning trainer, Dan Bell, the team was able to attack this season in peak physical form.
"You could tell we had a little something extra end of games," Adam Ryan said. "Dan [Bell] came in here and really whipped us into shape."
A Chaffee Division National Championship is an unbelievable feat in itself, but with the variety of challenges this team has overcome, it may be even more impressive.
Because Drexel is still considered a club team, they do not have the ability to recruit scholarship players like many of the teams they defeated in the Chaffee Division.
The team was pleased to find out that CSA regulation squash courts with stadium seating were part of the reconstruction of the Daskalakis Athletic Center. Now the team will be able to practice on the same courts on which its home matches will be played.
The Drexel University squash team defied all odds to take a CSA Chaffee Division National Championship. A club program with so much success has the potential to become a powerhouse varsity program in the future.
Be the first to comment on this story