Abdel Khalek of Bates Earns Third Player of the Year Accolade

HADLEY, Mass. - Bates junior Ahmed Abdel Khalek (Cairo, Egypt) has been selected by the conference coaches as the 2015 NESCAC Player of the Year. 

Abdel Khalek, who has gone undefeated this season with a stellar 20-0 mark, has received the Player of the Year three consecutive years in addition to being named the 2013 NESCAC Rookie of the Year. Abdel Khalek helped Bates finish the season at 15-9 and take third place at the NESCAC Championship after defeating Middlebury, 6-3.

Abdel Khalek was joined on the First Team by sophomore teammate Ahmed Hatata (Alexandria, Egypt). Hatata, the 2014 NESCAC Rookie of the Year and All-NESCAC First Team honoree, turned in a 15-1 record this season.

NESCAC Champion Trinity landed three men on the First Team. Senior Miled Zarazua (Mexico City, Mexico) closes out his collegiate career as a four-time All-NESCAC First Team selection. The 2012 NESCAC Rookie of the Year compiled a 12-8 mark during the 2014-15 campaign. He is joined by classmate Vrishab Kotian (Mumbai, India) and junior Juan Vargas (Bogota, Colombia) on the First Team. Vargas received his second First Team nod after earning First Team accolades in 2013 and Second Team honors in 2014 by going 13-2 this season. Kotian, a 2014 All-NESCAC Second Team pick, posted a 8-11 mark for the Bantams. 

A pair of Williams players garnered First Team recognition. Senior Kevin Chen (Potomac, Md.), who is 9-9, ends his career as a three-time First Team selection after being named to All-NESCAC Second Team in 2012. Joining him is sophomore Jamie Ruggerio (Philadelphia, Pa.). Ruggerio finds himself on the First Team this season following an 8-7 campaign after landing on the Second Team a year ago.

Rounding out the First Team is a trio of juniors in Noah Browne (Paget, Bermuda) of Amherst, Guy Davidson (New York, N.Y.) of Wesleyan and Andrew Jung (Mercer Island, Wash.) of Middlebury. Browne garnered First Team selection for the third straight year, having gone 10-4 in 2014-15. Davidson and Jung were both elevated from the Second Team this season to the First Team. Davidson, a two-time All-NESCAC Second Team honoree, has turned in a record of 13-5 during team competition, while Jung, who was Second Team last year, is 5-11.

Colby first-year Will McBrian (Dedham, Mass.) was selected as the 2015 NESCAC Rookie of the Year. McBrian, who was also named All-NESCAC Second Team, went 10-7 this season en route to being the first Mule to be recognized as the NESCAC Rookie of the Year.  

Sakhi Khan of Colby was selected by his peers as NESCAC Coach of the Year after guiding the Mules, who earned their highest NESCAC Championship seed in the history of the event and earning a bye into the quarterfinal round. This is the first time Khan has garnered NESCAC Men’s Squash Coach of the Year, as he was also named the NESCAC Women’s Squash Coach of the Year in 2012.

Men's Squash All-Conference Teams

First Team All-NESCAC Name Institution Year Hometown Ahmed Abdel Khalek Bates Jr. Cairo, Egypt Noah Browne Amherst Jr. Paget, Bermuda Kevin Chen Williams Sr. Potomac, Md. Guy Davidson Wesleyan Jr. New York, N.Y. Ahmed Hatata Bates So. Alexandria, Egypt Andrew Jung Middlebury Jr. Mercer Island, Wash.  Vrishab Kotian Trinity  Sr. Mumbai, India Jamie Ruggerio Williams So. Philadelphia, Pa. Juan Vargas Trinity Jr. Bogota, Colombia Miled Zarazua Trinity Sr. Mexico City, Mexico         Second Team All-NESCAC Name Institution Year Hometown Andrew Cadienhead Middlebury So. Bronx, N.Y. Matt Cooper Bowdoin Jr. Merion Station, Pa. Wyatt French Middlebury So. Farmington, Conn. Raheem Logan Wesleyan Jr. New York, N.Y. Karan Malik Trinity Sr. Bangalore, India Will McBrian Colby Fy. Dedham, Mass. Rick Penders Trinity Fy. Maastricht, Netherlands CJ Smith  Colby Jr. Locust Valley, N.Y. Andrew Ward Bowdoin Sr. Southborough, Mass. Chris Wilkinson Williams Sr. New York, N.Y.

Player of the Year Ahmed Abdel Khalek, Bates Rookie of the Year Will McBrian, Colby Coach of the Year Sakhi Khan, Colby