ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The bottom part of the ladder excelled for the No. 7 Franklin & Marshall men's squash team, carrying the Diplomats to a 6-3 victory against No. 14 Navy in their regular-season finale on Sunday afternoon. The win improved F&M to 13-6 on the season, while the Midshipmen fell to 17-7.
Sunday's victory also ensured F&M a spot in the 2015 Potter Cup (A) Division at the upcoming Collegiate Squash Association (CSA) Team Championships, where one of the top eight teams in the country will be crowned the national champion. The team championships are hosted by Trinity and run from Feb. 20-22. Check back with GoDiplomats.com for match times and bracket information.
Both teams traded blows at the top and middle part of the order, with each squad claiming three wins at the top-six spots. No.'s 7-9 proved to be the difference for the Diplomats in the contest, as Kareem Nabil Abdel Mawla (No. 7), Gavan Hitchenor (No. 8) and Philip Kelly (No. 9) all swept their opponents to deliver a trio of key victories to F&M.
Abhishek Pradhan took down his opponent by a thrilling 3-2 score at the top of the ladder, battling back from a 2-0 deficit to register wins in the final three games. At the No. 3 spot, Alex Arjoon jumped out to a 2-0 advantage, however Navy's Jim Kacergis staved off the sweep with a 12-10 win in the third.
Arjoon continued to battle, taking the fourth by an 11-8 mark to seal the 3-1 victory. Brian Henry (No. 5) earned one of the Diplomats' four sweeps on the afternoon, easily handing his opponent by a 3-0 score (11-7, 11-6, 11-8).
#7 Franklin & Marshall 6, #14 Naval Academy 3
1. Abhishek Pradhan (F&MM) def. Andrew McGuinness (NAVY) 6-11, 13-15, 13-11, 11-5, 11-8
2. Josh Hughes (NAVY) def. Dylan Cunningham (F&MM) 9-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-7
3. Alex Arjoon (F&MM) def. Jim Kacergis (NAVY) 11-8, 11-9, 10-12, 11-8
4. Colin Barry (NAVY) def. P. Veiga de Almeida (F&MM) 16-14, 11-1, 7-11, 9-11, 11-9
5. Brian Henry (F&MM) def. Bill Kacergis (NAVY) 11-7, 11-6, 11-8
6. Randy Beck (NAVY) def. Michael Sorochev (F&MM) 11-8, 14-12, 11-8
7. Kareem Mawla (F&MM) def. Reed Whitney (NAVY) 11-5, 13-11, 11-8
8. Gavan Hitchenor (F&MM) def. Sam McCartney (NAVY) 11-7, 11-9, 11-7
9. Phil Kelly (F&MM) def. Will Walker (NAVY) 11-3, 11-5, 12-10
Exh. Chris Bown (F&MM) def. John Hsu (NAVY) 11-8, 11-9, 11-4
