Rye High School’s boys varsity squash team finished their regular season with a record of 5-8, ranked eighth out of 32 schools in the region’s FairWest Boys/Mixed Division. During their final week of regular matches, the boys had tough, back-to-back losses, falling to Bronxville on Feb. 7 and to their crosstown rivals, Rye Country Day, the next day.
“Those were definitely tough matches, and not ones that we wanted to end the regular season with,” senior captain Nicolas Echlov said. “But we’ve been working hard and we’re ready for Nationals.”
The team is headed to Philadelphia to compete this weekend in those “Nationals” – in their case the U.S. High School Squash Championships. Last year, the Rye boys team left Nationals with a tournament record of 1-3, but this year, they hope to secure a few more wins, relying heavily on a few key players.
One of those is freshman Charlie Rodilosso, who this season led the team with an individual record of 7-5 and a rating of 5.20. “Charlie’s a force on the court and a great teammate,” Echlov said. “He has so much enthusiasm for the sport, which really boosts team morale.”
The No. 2 position on the team is held by junior captain Andrew Chun, with a 9-4 record and a 5.03 rating. Echlov, with a rating of 4.30, holds the third position.
“Nationals is the ultimate team-bonding experience,” Echlov said, explaining the excitement surrounding the trip. “We play roughly two games a day, so it’s definitely hard work. Win or lose, though, we always have a great time in Philly.”
The boys will be playing all games this weekend at Drexel University, in the fourth division.