Spring Break
Club squash team wins national championship
Anthony Antinore
Issue date: 3/6/09 Section: Sports
A Drexel University sports team has won a collegiate national championship. No, it was not one of the highly funded varsity basketball teams or even the nationally ranked men's lacrosse team - it was the Drexel men's club squash team, which clinched its first Chaffee Division National Championship over Vanderbilt by a score of six matches to three Feb. 22.
The Chaffee Division consisted of Drexel, MIT, Vanderbilt, USC, Columbia, Penn State, Haverford College and California Tech. In round one of the national tournament, Drexel faced off against Columbia.
After being tied up at three after six matches were completed, Drexel went on a tear when team co-captain Evan Cyrkin, Ty Steidle, Akshay Singh and Adam Ryan took the last four matches to seal the win for the Dragons.
"Earlier in the season we had lost to Columbia 5-4, and beating them 6-3 this time shows how well our team was playing," co-captain Justin Burkholder said.
Drexel's first round win boosted them into the semi-finals against MIT. The Dragons' No. 1 player, Chucky "The Magician" Rajapallsha, and No. 2 player Yash "The Ninja" Shah, kick-started the team's winning effort by capturing two straight matches.
A loss in the third match put Drexel's No. 4 player, Ali "Ali Baba" Rehemtulla, in an important match-up against Austin Anderson of MIT. Rehemtulla swept the match by winning three consecutive games and Justin Burkholder slammed the door on the Beavers' hope for a comeback with a convincing win over MIT's George Pratt.
Two great wins in the first two rounds allowed the Dragons to reach the Chaffee division finals against Vanderbilt. A previous match-up against the Commodores allowed Drexel to make special preparations before game-time.
Burkholder knew that his fellow players had the ability to complete the Cinderella story.
"We were all peaking at the right time," he said. "We went into the finals with a lot of confidence."
The Dragons hit the ground running with three straight wins to begin the final match. Vanderbilt stormed back with three wins of their own to even the contest at three matches a piece.
The Chaffee Division consisted of Drexel, MIT, Vanderbilt, USC, Columbia, Penn State, Haverford College and California Tech. In round one of the national tournament, Drexel faced off against Columbia.
After being tied up at three after six matches were completed, Drexel went on a tear when team co-captain Evan Cyrkin, Ty Steidle, Akshay Singh and Adam Ryan took the last four matches to seal the win for the Dragons.
"Earlier in the season we had lost to Columbia 5-4, and beating them 6-3 this time shows how well our team was playing," co-captain Justin Burkholder said.
Drexel's first round win boosted them into the semi-finals against MIT. The Dragons' No. 1 player, Chucky "The Magician" Rajapallsha, and No. 2 player Yash "The Ninja" Shah, kick-started the team's winning effort by capturing two straight matches.
A loss in the third match put Drexel's No. 4 player, Ali "Ali Baba" Rehemtulla, in an important match-up against Austin Anderson of MIT. Rehemtulla swept the match by winning three consecutive games and Justin Burkholder slammed the door on the Beavers' hope for a comeback with a convincing win over MIT's George Pratt.
Two great wins in the first two rounds allowed the Dragons to reach the Chaffee division finals against Vanderbilt. A previous match-up against the Commodores allowed Drexel to make special preparations before game-time.
Burkholder knew that his fellow players had the ability to complete the Cinderella story.
"We were all peaking at the right time," he said. "We went into the finals with a lot of confidence."
The Dragons hit the ground running with three straight wins to begin the final match. Vanderbilt stormed back with three wins of their own to even the contest at three matches a piece.
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