Abdel Khalek of Bates Repeats as Player of the Year

HADLEY, Mass. - Bates sophomore Ahmed Abdel Khalek (Cairo, Egypt) has been selected by the conference coaches as the 2014 NESCAC Player of the Year. Abdel Khalek has gone undefeated with an impressive mark of 17-0 and led Bates to a 13-7 record this season. The Bobcats topped Middlebury 6-3 in the NESCAC third-place match. This marks the third time a player from Bates has earned the league’s top honor after Abdel Khalek was named Player of the Year in 2013 and Kush Mahan was named Co-Player of the Year in 2010.

Bates’ Ahmed Hatata (Alexandria, Egypt) has been chosen at the 2014 NESCAC Rookie of the Year after posting a record of 17-3 this season. Hatata is the second consecutive Bobcat to receive Rookie of the Year recognition, joining Abdel Khalek.

Trinity and Williams placed two men on the First Team each. Bantam juniors Karan Malik (Bangalore, India) and Miled Zarazua (Mexico City, Mexico) have gone 12-6 and 9-9, respectively, during the year. Zarazua has been named to the First Team for the third straight time to go along with his 2012 Rookie of the Year award, while Malik moves up to the First Team after being placed on the 2013 Second Team as Trinity claimed its eighth consecutive NESCAC Championship. Eph junior Kevin Chen (Potomac, Md.), who is 13-11, finds himself on the First Team for the second straight season following Second Team recognition in 2012. He is joined by first-time all-conference selection senior teammate Taylor Foehl (Williamstown, Mass.), who has tallied a 9-14 record. 

Wesleyan senior John Steele (Merion Station, Pa.) closes out his career as a four-time All-NESCAC First Team honoree after being named the 2011 NESCAC Rookie of the Year. This season he has posted a record of 11-9. 

Rounding out the First Team is sophomore Noah Browne (Paget, Bermuda) of Amherst, senior Stephan Danyluk (Williamstown, Mass.) of Bowdoin and senior Parker Hurst (Greenwich, Conn.) of Middlebury. Browne received a First Team nod last year, and has gone 11-4 during the 2013-14 campaign. Danyluk and Hurst were both two-time Second Team picks before being elevated this season to the First Team. Danyluk, who was Second Team in 2011 and 2013, has posted a record of 9-8, while Hurst, who was Second Team in 2012 and 2013, is 8-8.

Shona Kerr of Wesleyan was selected by her peers as NESCAC Coach of the Year after guiding the Cardinals, who earned their highest NESCAC Championship seed in the history of the event. This is the second Coach of the Year honor for Kerr, who received the award in 2011.

Men's Squash All-Conference Teams

First Team All-NESCAC Name Institution Year Hometown Ahmed Abdel Khalek Bates So. Cairo, Egypt Noah Browne Amherst So. Paget, Bermuda Kevin Chen Williams Jr. Potomac, Md. Stephan Danyluk Bowdoin Sr. Williamstown, Mass. Taylor Foehl Williams Sr. Williamstown, Mass. Ahmed Hatata Bates Fy. Alexandria, Egypt Parker Hurst Middlebury Sr. Greenwich, Conn.  Karan Malik Trinity Jr. Bangalore, India John Steele Wesleyan Sr. Merion Station, Pa. Miled Zarazua Trinity Jr. Mexico City, Mexico         Second Team All-NESCAC Name Institution Year Hometown Aditya Advani  Tufts So. New Delhi, India Martin Bawden Hamilton Sr. Short Hills, N.J. Darrius Campbell Bates Fy. St. Stephen, S.C. Guy Davidson  Wesleyan So. New York, N.Y. Zeyad Elshorafy Trinity So. Alexandria, Egypt Andrew Jung Middlebury So. Mercer Island, Wash. Vrishab Kotian Trinity Jr. Mumbai, India Jamie Ruggiero  Williams Fy. Philadelphia, Pa. CJ Smith  Colby So. Locust Valley, N.Y. Juan Vargas Trinity So. Bogota, Colombia

Player of the Year Ahmed Abdel Khalek, Bates Rookie of the Year Ahmed Hatata, Bates Coach of the Year Shona Kerr, Wesleyan