Steve Nam ’20 played sixth-seed at Nationals and won two out of his three matches
After placing eighteenth in the country last season, Andover Boys Squash beat teams that it had previously lost to, placing eleventh in the 2020 Head High School National Championships this past weekend. Andover fell to Belmont Hill 5-2, beat St. Paul’s 5-2, lost to Bronxville 4-3, and defeated Pingry 7-0 over the course of four days.
According to Head Coach John Roberts, the team’s overall play has improved throughout this season and the previous season, allowing it to place higher than last year.
“Every year, we’ve been improving placement-wise. A couple years ago, we were at the bottom of [Division II], and now we just came in eleventh in the country in [Division I]. We were seeded to place about eleventh, so we finished where we were supposed to. I think next year and the following year, we’ll do even better in [Division I],” said Roberts.
Andover’s strength as a team came from its ability to play as a collective unit and support each other on and off the court, according to Siddhant Sinha ’21.
Sinha said, “I’m quite proud of our performance. I’m happy with the way that we all supported each other through the matches… [and] the unity we showed as a team.”
A standout player during the tournament was Arthur Nguyen ’22, who not only won every match but also defeated a seed higher than himself.
“Arthur Nguyen definitely stood out the most. Obviously he was undefeated, but he had a really big match against Belmont Hill to number three. He was seeded to lose, but he ended up winning 3-0, so that was a pretty big win for him,” said Cody Comyns ’22.
According to Roberts, the team performed well on the court and demonstrated good sportsmanship during its four matches.
“I’m most proud of how they carry themselves on and off the court. Whilst squash is important, their behavior is always respectful in high pressure situations and when around each other,” said Roberts.
Andover looks to place even higher in the 2020-2021 season but will miss current Seniors Captain Jack Lee ’20, Steve Nam ’20, and Will Yun ’20, according to Sinha.
Sinha said, “It’s obviously nice to finish in the season top eleven in the country, but we’re going to miss our seniors a lot next season. Towards the end of the season, we realize as a team that we’re coming to an end.”
