After three weekends of championships, five players fought hard — to no avail — for their own trophies in the College Squash Association’s individual championships in Philadelphia to round out the season for the Cornell squash teams.
Out of the two men representing the Red, junior V. Luke Park II kicked off the weekend competing in the B Division of the championships for the Molloy Cup, but was unfortunately defeated by George Washington University junior Salim Khan.
Simultaneously, one of the Red’s other players, freshman Veer Chotrani, competed in the A Division of the championships for a chance at the Pool Trophy. Going into the championships, Chotrani remained positive.
“My first match is going to be very, very hard, but I’m going to enjoy it. Play freely, play with no pressure, and just enjoy the game,” he said.
Despite losing in the first round to University of Virginia freshman Aly Hussein, Chotrani was able to participate in the consolation finals.
Chotrani first defeated University of Rochester senior Matthew Toth 3-2 in the consolation quarterfinals. After advancing to the consolation semifinals on Saturday afternoon, Chotrani was able to secure a victory against Columbia University sophomore James Wyatt.
Unfortunately, Chotrani was topped by the top-seeded Victor Crouin of Harvard in the consolation final. Nonetheless, Chotrani was able to finish ranked tenth overall in the competition, securing a spot on the CSA’s All-America first team as a result.
The women of the Red saw a bit more play time, and an overall more successful weekend at the championships.
Out of the three women, two competed for the B Division, vying for the Holleran Cup. Despite valiant efforts, seniors Colby Gallagher and Lucy Martin were unable to obtain the title. While Martin was defeated by her opponent in the first round, Gallagher advanced to the quarterfinals — but it was there her weekend contest ended.
Sophomore Sivasangari Subramaniam competed in the A Division for a chance at the Ramsay Cup. Subramaniam has played the number one position in the Red’s lineup since she joined the team, and only lost one match during the regular season at the hands of Harvard’s senior Georgina Kennedy.
“I really want to focus each match at a time…I don’t want to pressure myself too much,” Subramaniam said on her weekend’s strategy.
Subramaniam began the weekend taking on Princeton junior Raneem El Torky in the first round, defeating her 3-1 midday on Friday. That night, Subramaniam advanced to the quarterfinals, where she was able to secure an easy 3-0 win over Drexel freshman Karina Tyma.
Her winning streak for the weekend took a turn for the worse when she met Harvard senior Hana Moataz.
Having played the first position for the Red, Subramaniam knew she would be put to the test when dealing with Harvard seniors.
“There are a few seniors that are really good, and I’m sure they’re pressuring themselves to win since it’s their senior year. I’m going to take that advantage and just play my game,” Subramaniam said.
Subramaniam was topped by her opponent, but not without a fight. Despite winning all of the sets in the match, each went over the usual match-point of 11. Moataz later fell to fellow Harvard teammate Kennedy in the finals for the Cup.
Despite not winning the title, Subramaniam’s run and sub-16 qualification in the championships landed her Cornell Squash Association All-America first team status for the first time in her college career.
Cornell’s men’s team has officially finished the season ranked No. 10 in their division, with the women finishing their own season ranked No. 11.
Despite the loss, Subramaniam was looking forward to the next season.
“We’re losing three seniors, which is hard, but I think we’re getting a few good players next year. So hopefully we can do really well, work as a team, and get in the A draw next year,” Subramaniam said.