Athletics News

Purple, McManus Compete at Individual Championship

Rob Purple ´08 Represened the Men´s Squash Team at the CSA Individuals in Annapolis, Maryland

March 03, 2008

ANNAPOLIS, Md.--Connecticut College senior squash players Rob Purple and Ryan McManus participated in the CSA Squash Individuals at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland this weekend. Playing up in all matches, Purple was unable to pull out a victory and lost in straight games to Moshe Sarfaty of Yale,1,1,5. His second match went one more game against Andrew Bernard of Bowdoin, 8-10, (10-8),7,3.

Ryan McManus had success against her first round opponent, Lizzie Wright of Mount Holyoke, winning by the easy margin of 0,4,2. In the second round McManus did not fare quite as well against Catie Warner from Williams, who won by 4,4,7 scores. Ryan´s third round match was against Anne Ritter from Cornell and it turned into a barnburner. Losing the first game at 2, Ryan was able to turn the table in the next two games and won them at 3 and 2. In the fourth, she lost at 0, to tie the match at 2 games all. The fifth was a gritty battle between two determined competitors with the serve changing many times. When the dust settled, Ritter had won 9-6 and McManus´ successful collegiate squash career came to an end.

The venue, the Naval Academy, which had added six courts this past year to their existing six courts, was an impressive site. Some matches were watched by an estimated 2,400 midshipmen who were enthusiastic, vocal and definitely partisan when one of their fellow midshipmen was playing.

"It was a great way to send these seniors off," said Coach McNally. "I don´t think either of them realized that they were playing their last collegiate matches until the last rally of the last game was over."

For more information contact: William Tomasian (860) 439-2501; william.tomasian@conncoll.edu