Abdel Khalek of Bates Receives Fourth Player of the Year Award

HADLEY, Mass. - Bates senior Ahmed Abdel Khalek (Cairo, Egypt) has been selected by the conference coaches as the 2016 NESCAC Player of the Year after posting an unblemished 20-0 mark. Abdel Khalek, who is the first men’s squash player in league history to receive the accolade four times, is in the midst of a 62-match winning streak dating back to his sophomore year. The 2013 NESCAC Rookie of the Year also helped Bates turn in its best showing at the NESCAC Championship this season, as the Bobcats finished second.

• Six players on the All-NESCAC First Team are repeat First Team honorees, while three players were Second Team All-NESCAC a year ago. The All-NESCAC Second Team includes eight first-time all-conference recipients.
• Six Trinity players received All-NESCAC recognition while Bates and Williams had three players garner all-conference accolades apiece. Bowdoin, Colby and Wesleyan landed a pair of All-NESCAC selections each. 
• Three players closed out their collegiate careers as four-time All-NESCAC honorees. Amherst senior Noah Browne, a four-time First Team All-NESCAC pick, is 10-3 this season at the No. 1 position for the Purple & White. Senior Juan Vargas of Trinity was previously named to the First Team in 2013 and 2015 and the Second Team in 2014, and boasts a 15-2 record this year at the No. 2 position. Wesleyan senior Guy Davidson was elevated to the All-NESCAC First Team in 2015 after being chosen for the 2013 and 2014 All-NESCAC Second Team. Davidson is 11-4 at the No. 1 position for the Cardinals this season. 
• Bates junior Ahmed Hatata landed on the First Team for the third consecutive season. The 2014 NESCAC Rookie of the Year is unbeaten at the No. 2 position for the Bobcats, posting a 21-0 mark.
• Jamie Ruggerio of Williams was selected to the All-NESCAC First Team in back-to-back seasons. The junior, who was named to the 2014 All-NESCAC Second Team, turned in seven wins in the No. 1 position for the Ephs. 
• A trio of players were elevated to the All-NESCAC First Team following second team selections last year. Middlebury junior Wyatt French posted a 12-3 mark at the No. 3 position for the Panthers while Wesleyan senior Raheem Logan registered 10 wins at the No. 2 position. Trinity sophomore Rick Penders is 13-3 at the Bantams’ No. 1 position heading into this weekend’s College Squash Association (CSA) National Team Championships.
• First-year Michael Craig is the lone first-time all-conference honoree on the First Team. Craig, who is 12-3, has played all season at the No. 2 position for the Bantams. 
• Trinity first-year Tom De Mulder was chosen as the NESCAC Rookie of the Year. De Mulder, who was also named to the All-NESCAC Second Team, is 16-2 this season en route to being the third Bantam recognized as the NESCAC Rookie of the Year, joining Andres Vargas Heredina (2008) and Miled Zarazua Ramirez (2012).
• Paul Assaiante of Trinity and Pat Cosquer of Bates have been selected as NESCAC Co-Coaches of the Year by their peers. Assaiante, who is in his 21st season at Trinity, is receiving the award for the fourth time in his career after helping the Bantams win their tenth NESCAC championship earlier this month. Trinity won its first 18 matches of the season, and heads into the CSA National Team Championships this weekend with a 19-1 record. Assaiante previously won the award in 2008, 2009 and 2013. Cosquer garners the accolade for the second time in his eight seasons at the helm for the Bobcats after being recognized in 2010. He guided Bates to a runner-up finish at the NESCAC Championship, marking the program’s best finish at the conference championship. The Bobcats capped off the season by winning the Summers Cup and finishing the season at 15-7. 

Men's Squash All-Conference Teams

First Team All-NESCAC Name Institution Year Hometown Ahmed Abdel Khalek Bates Sr. Cairo, Egypt Noah Browne Amherst Sr. Paget, Bermuda Michael Craig Trinity Fy. Belfast, Northern Ireland Guy Davidson Wesleyan Sr. New York, N.Y. Wyatt French Middlebury Jr. Farmington, Conn. Ahmed Hatata Bates Jr. Alexandria, Egypt Raheem Logan Wesleyan Sr. New York, N.Y.  Rick Penders Trinity  So. Maastricht, Netherlands Jamie Ruggerio Williams Jr. Philadelphia, Pa. Juan Vargas Trinity Sr. Bogota, Colombia         Second Team All-NESCAC Name Institution Year Hometown Darrius Campbell Bates Jr. St. Stephen, S.C. Matt Cooper Bowdoin Sr. Merion Station, Pa. Tom De Mulder Trinity Fy. Gent, Belgium James Evans Trinity So. Maidstone, England John Fitzgerald Williams Fy. Greenwich, Conn. Affeeq Ismail Trinity Jr. Kuching, Malaysia Will McBrian Colby So. Dedham, Mass. Colin O'Dowd Hamilton Fy. Chester, N.J. CJ Smith  Colby Sr. Locust Valley, N.Y. Galen Squiers Williams Sr. Dayton, Ohio Ian Squiers Bowdoin Fy. Dayton, Ohio

Player of the Year Ahmed Abdel Khalek, Bates Rookie of the Year Tom De Mulder, Trinity Co-Coach of the Year Paul Assaiante, Trinity Co-Coach of the Year Pat Cosquer, Bates