POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (October 21, 2015) – The Vassar College men's squash team finished the season unlike many other teams in the country, that is with a victory as they earned the H Division Championship at the College Squash Association Championships.

In fact, only eight teams in the country can say they earned a championship last year, as Vassar College boasts that coming into the 2015-16 season. The Brewers finished last season with a four-match winning streak, which included a thrilling 5-4 win over Bard College for that title. Senior captains Timothy Veit (Fairfield, CT/Fairfield Warde) and Juan Fernandez (Colonia Chimalistac, Mexico/United World College Costa Rica) were both part of that team, and are looking to bigger expectations this upcoming year.

"We won our division last year, and I really think we can move up into the Hathorn Division," said Veit. "I think that we could win that as well, it's an attainable goal." The Brewers return 10 players from last year's team, while infusing six new players to what should be a strong lineup throughout the ladder.

"I think last year we won a lot of matches towards the middle-bottom of our lineup, but we should be pretty strong all the way through," said junior and No. 1 player Vincent Mencotti (Birmingham, MI/Brother Rice). The attitude for the squad is that with the added depth, it should foster a competitive atmosphere while all 16 players improve each day.

LINEUP
The Vassar College squad will look at the top and recognize a familiar face at the top of the ladder, as Mencotti played all 15 matches at the No. 1 position last year for the Brewers. Mencotti posted a 12-8 record last year as a sophomore, and was one of just two players to post an overall winning record in 2014-15. Look for Mencotti to lead the squad in victories once again, as he earned a 10-5 record in dual matches.

Both senior captains will vie for the second position in the lineup, as Veit and Fernandez each bring some solid experience to the fold for VC. Veit earned the No. 2 position in every match last year, while Fernandez came back after the semester break in 2014-15 to earn the No. 3 spot, going 2-2 in that position and 3-4 overall last year.

Freshman George Platt (New York, NY/Packer) enters this season with some very strong squash background, and will be relied on to pick up victories for VC this year. Platt has been sitting at No. 4 on the ladder, but could move up quickly as he adjusts to the collegiate squash scene.

One of the biggest surprises for the squad over the last few seasons has been the play from senior Ben Kurchin (Rochester, NY/Harley School). Kurchin joined the squad as a sophomore, but really blossomed last year going 5-1 overall as a junior.
Kurchin is very athletic and his skills are starting to catch up to the athleticism, making him a very tough opponent to play against. Watch for Kurchin to start around the No. 5 position in the lineup, with an opportunity to possibly move up this season.

Senior Tim Boycott (Mbabane, Swaziland/Waterford Kamhlaba UWCSA) played in 15 matches last year, and was one of four players to start in four different positions. Boycott was third on the team with seven wins in 2014-15, and likely will move up to the No. 6 position this year.

Senior Michael Iselin (Delmar, NY/Doane Stuart School) was abroad for last year, but does have two previous years of experience with the Brewers and will help anchor the bottom third of the lineup to start the season. Junior Lucas Fifer (New York, NY/Eleanor Roosevelt) earned 12 starts last year, picking up a pair of wins, and has improved so far this fall. Fifer should find a spot in the No. 8 position early on this season, with a chance to move up.

Behind Fifer on the currently ladder is junior Samuel Hammer (Wethersfield, CT/Kingswood Oxford), but Hammer has 14 career match starts with six all-time wins for the Brewers. Battling for a starting spot in the lineup will be another returning player in Richard Bryenton (Knoxville, TN/West). Bryenton was 2-8 last year, but his match experience along with another year of training should help him this season.

Newcomers Andrew Patton (Barrington, RI/Barrington), Isaac Stuart (Swampscott, MA/Waring School), Alex Riccio (Portland, CT/Portland), Caden Gruber (Costa Mesa, CA/Corona del Mar) and Shiv Ruparell (Calgary, Alberta, Canada/Stratchcona-Tweedsmuir), along with Matt Fastman (Hastings-on-Hudson, NY/Hastings), will each battle to climb up the ladder and earn starts throughout the season.

SCHEDULE
The Brewers start the campaign against their biggest rival, heading to Bard College this Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. in a re-match of last year's College Squash Association H Division Championship. VC comes home for a Halloween matchup against Siena, followed the next Saturday with the home Hudson Valley Individual Tournament.

Vassar is away for five straight road matches through the end of the semester, opening play in 2016 with a pair of home affairs against Connecticut College and Haverford College. VC will again host another tournament January 30, followed by a trip to Canton, NY on February 6 for the Liberty League Championships.

The regular season ends on February 13 with a trip to Belmont, MA for a pair of matches at Tufts University and Northeastern University. The CSA Championships start February 19 at Yale University, as Vassar College looks to earn another division title this season.