A 6-3 victory over Western Ontario in the “C Division” final on Sunday, Feb. 23, allowed Middlebury’s men’s squash team to claim the “Summers Cup” for the third year in a row. This marks the fifth time in the last seven seasons the men’s team has captured the title. Sunday’s win puts a cap on yet another successful winter for the squash program.
Sunday’s match pitted the Panthers against defending “B Division” champion Western Ontario University, which entered the match with a record of 27-6. The Panthers swept the fifth through ninth slots while Wyatt French ’17 earned Middlebury’s lone point in the first through fourth slots in the lineup (11-7, 11-1, 1-11 and 11-7). In the seventh slot, David Cromwell ’16 gained a point for the Panthers in four sets (11-6, 7-11, 11-3 and 11-8). Ben Krant ’17 scraped out close victories in each of his sets in the eighth slot en route to sweeping his opponent (11-9, 11-5 and 12-10). Will Hanley ’15 and Robert Galluccio ’15 each rounded out their Middlebury careers with four set victories. Hanley gained his point for Middlebury in the sixth slot despite dropping his first set two to 11. He won the next three 11-4, 11-7 and 11-6. Other than an 11-8 loss in his second set, senior co-Captain Galluccio soundly defeated his opponent in the ninth slot with a pair of 11-4 victories and an 11-5 victory in the deciding set.
French, Hanley, Cromwell, Krant and Galluccio all made it through the tournament without dropping a match, a collective performance that ensured the teams success throughout the weekend. Even more impressive were the performances put on by Hanley and Cromwell, as each player dropped only one set the entire weekend.
Leading up to Sunday’s victory over Western Ontario, the Panthers had no problem taking care of NESCAC rivals Wesleyan and Amherst in the quarter and semifinals. Middlebury drubbed Amherst 8-1 in the quarterfinals on the morning of Friday, Feb. 20, giving the Panthers their second victory this season over the Lord Jeffs. Saturday morning’s semifinals match against Wesleyan was the third meeting between the two squads this season. A 6-3 victory allowed the Panthers to complete a season sweep of the Cardinals.
This past weekend’s result allows the squash program to put an exclamation point on a season challenged from the beginning with the death of Coach John Illig. While Illig may no longer be running practice or roaming the squash facility, his message runs deep within the program. John’s spirit served as encouragement for members of both the men’s and women’s teams as they contested the nation’s top teams and players throughout the season, players said.
“If I ever found myself getting discouraged I would think about the people I was playing for – myself, my teammates, and most importantly, John,” said Charlotte Dewey ’15, reflecting on her experience playing squash at Middlebury.
“John always told me that he cared little about whether I won or not — it was things like sportsmanship, attitude, team chemistry and, above all, just enjoying the game of squash which was always most important to him. And if I could carry this into my last and final matches, then I knew I would be giving back and honoring the legacy that John left behind,” Dewey said.
Although last weekend’s victory at the Summers Cup marks the end of the season’s team competition, select individuals from the squad will return to action from Feb. 26 through Mar. 1 at the CSA Individual Championships hosted by Yale.
