Squash

The Drexel University men’s and women’s squash teams opened their seasons Nov. 11, with a sweep of Dickinson College at home. Winning both of their match-ups 9-0, the Dragons did not drop a game. The No. 9 ranked women’s team were first to show off impressive skills at the Kline & Specter Squash Center, where they downed the No. 23 Red Devils in just over an hour. Strong wins from returning players were vital in the convincing 9-0 win. Senior powerhouse players Hayley Hughes and Ryan Morgan took down their respective opponents in the No. 2 and No. 3 positions,…

Members of the Drexel University men’s and women’s squash teams participated in the 2017 Individual Championships in Hanover, New Hampshire from March 3 to 5. Junior Atticus Kelly finished first in the consolation finals of the Molloy Division West. He won in a tough five set battle as a strong ending to cap off the season. “Atticus played three great matches at the individuals. It was good to see him finish this way as he has been injury struck throughout the season and could never play at his best, which saw him drop to  No. 6 on the team,” Head…

The Drexel University women’s squash team went 2-1 at the 2017 Kurtz Cup in Princeton, New Jersey Feb. 24 through Feb. 26. Head coach John White talked about the importance of the team’s focus in being successful over the weekend. “Their mental strength, sticking to their own game plan and not getting too frustrated were their biggest strengths during the weekend matches. They stayed focused from the very first point till the match was over. This is what got them the wins against two top teams, No. 11 Williams and No. 10 Brown, in the first 2 days.” On Friday,…

The Drexel University men’s squash team went 1-2 in the 2017 Potter Cup. The Dragons dropped their first match in the quarterfinals by a score of 9-0 to Columbia University Feb. 17. Sophomore Omar El Atmas, freshman Lucas Rousselet, junior Luke Willemse, junior Noel Solomon, freshman Mostafa Aboul Makarim, and junior Joshua Hughes were all swept by their Columbia opponents. Sophomore Bransten Ming and junior Atticus Kelly lost their matches in four games. Senior Michael Thompson battled through a tough five game match but could not come out with the victory for the Dragons. “They were a little nervous going…

The Drexel University men’s and women’s squash teams finished their regular season off strong Feb. 10 and 12. “This year’s team is stronger mentally than previous years. They are putting together the big points at the end of the games and matches and getting the wins against the top teams, something we could not do in previous seasons. They now believe in their own ability on the court,” head coach John White said. The men’s team swept in both their weekend matches. The team faced off against the George Washington University Colonials on Friday and defeated them 9-0. Sophomore Omar…

The Drexel University men’s squash team went 2-0 this weekend against Yale University and Dartmouth University at home at the Kline & Specter Squash Center. The Dragons defeated the Bulldogs 5-4 on Jan. 27, which happened to be Drexel’s first win over Yale in program history. The Dragons secured victories in the top four spots and the sixth spot. Sophomore Omar El Atmas swept his opponent in three games in the first spot. Sophomore Bransten Ming followed with a win in a five-game battle. Freshman Lucas Rousselet and senior Michael Thompson finished off their opponents in three games. Junior Luke…

The Drexel University men’s and women’s squash teams struggled in their first matches of 2017, against Harvard University on Jan. 13. The sixth-ranked Drexel men’s squash team was defeated by the fourth-ranked Harvard Crimson at home. The Dragons’ record is now 6-3 overall, while Harvard improved to 2-0. The two wins for Drexel came from sophomore Omar El Atmas and Junior Luke Willemse. Willemse defeated Dylan Murray in the sixth spot in a tough five-game battle, 11-7, 3-11, 11-9, 7-11, 11-8. El Atmas defeated his Harvard opponent, Saadeldin Abouaish, at the No.1 spot in four games. In the seventh spot,…

The number nine ranked Drexel University men’s squash team swept the No. 18 Williams College Ephs Saturday Dec. 3. With the win, the Dragon’s extended their win streak to four and improved their record to 6-2. In five of the nine matches, the Dragons swept their opponents. Sophomore Omar El Atmas defeated Will Means in the second spot. Senior Michael Thompson, junior Luke Willemse, and junior Joshua Hughes swept their opponents in the fourth, fifth and sixth spots, respectively. Junior Noel Solomon delivered a sweep in the eighth spot. The rest of the Dragons won their matches in four games.…

The No. 9-ranked Drexel University men’s squash team upset the No. 6-ranked University of Pennsylvania Quakers in a 5-4 home victory Nov. 30. The match marked Drexel’s first-ever victory over the Quakers in men’s squash and the Quakers’ first loss of the season. Strong performances came from sophomore Omar El Atmas and senior Michael Thompson. Playing in the No. 2 spot, El Atmas won his match in five games — 8-11, 11-4, 11-4, 8-11, 11-6 — after falling behind early with a first game loss. Thompson’s victory from the No. 4 spot sealed the Dragon’s win, as he won his…

The Drexel University men’s squash team opened their 2016-17 season in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The No.9 ranked Dragons defeated the No.13 ranked Franklin & Marshall College Diplomats 9-0 Nov. 15. Sophomore Bransten Ming led the Dragons in the first spot for Drexel. He dropped his first match, 6-11, but came back to win 3-2. In the No.2 spot, Omar El Atmas beat his opponent, 11-7, 9-11, 11-9, 11-5. Drexel freshman, Lucas Rousselet, stepped up in the third spot and swept Franklin & Marshall’s Shams Abbas. Senior Michael Thompson, junior Luke Willemse, and junior Cillian Dunne each swept their opponent in three…

The Drexel University men’s and women’s squash teams competed against the Columbia University Lions Feb. 13 at the Kline & Specter Squash Center. It was the team’s final match of the season and a celebration of Senior Day for graduating team members. The men’s team pulled out a great performance, downing the Lions in a 5-4 victory. This makes 12 wins for the Dragons this season, a program record. The top half of the ladder struggled for the Dragons, but the bottom half came through to seal a Drexel victory. Omar El Atmas got the only win for the Dragons…

The Drexel University men’s squash team went 2-0 on the weekend, while the women split their matches. Playing at home, the No.9 ranked Drexel men’s squash team crushed the No. 10 George Washington Colonials with an 8-1 victory Feb. 6 at the Kline & Specter Squash Center. Sophomore Atticus Kelly earned his 10th victory of the season, defeating Moudy Abdel-Maksoud. Kelly earned his victory in four games, dropping the first. Kelly played from the first spot for the fourth consecutive match. He is 3-1 from this position. Freshman Bransten Ming followed with a win in four games. This marked his…

The Drexel University men’s squash team showed an impressive performance Jan. 30, winning both of its matches. The Dragons traveled to New Haven, Connecticut to play against the Cornell Big Red. Drexel defeated the 12th-ranked team 6-3. Sophomore Atticus Kelly opened for the Dragons in the one spot, defeating Cornell’s Harry Freeman in four games. Freshman Bransten Ming lost the second spot in four games, but Drexel was able to turn the game around and earn three wins through six spots. Freshman Omar El Atmas defeated Gustav Runersjo in four games for a total of 10 points. Ibrahim Bakir followed…

For sophomore Ryan Morgan, Drexel University women’s squash player, being named “Athlete of the Week” for the week of January 13-19 was only the beginning of her accomplishments thus far. No. 13 Drexel women’s squash team took over Hanover, New Hampshire, when they defeated No. 9 Dartmouth University (5-4).   “This is such a big accomplishment for the team. We have so many new players and to be in the top 10 is amazing, especially because this is the first time the Drexel women’s squash team has ever been in the top 10,” Morgan said. With a five-game win against…

The Drexel University men’s and women’s squash teams faced off against the Dartmouth College Big Green Jan. 16 in Hanover, New Hampshire. The Dragon’s No. 9 men’s team fell to the No. 5 Dartmouth men. The final score was 6-3 in favor of the Big Green. At the top spot, Atticus Kelly suffered a tough loss, battling through five games to fall to his opponent, Alvin Heumann. Omar El Atmas followed at the second spot and earned a win in sweeping fashion. His individual record is now 9-1 on the season. Bransten Ming also defeated his Dartmouth opponent, doing in…