Individual Pre-Season Picks: Sobhy and Abdel Khalek

Amanda Sobhy has three College Squash individual national championships to her credit. As she begins her senior year at Harvard University, we predict she will win her fourth this coming season, equaling the mark previously set by current Princeton University coach Gail Ramsay.

Sobhy is coached at Harvard by Mike Way.

Sobhy will immediately be regarded as the greatest female college player in history upon graduation as she isn't just winning - she is dominating. She doesn't know what it feels like to play a fourth game in CSA.

When Sobhy isn't hitting the books at Harvard, she is playing on the WSA World Tour, where she is currently #10 in the world rankings. Amanda is the first American to ever reach the world top 10.
 
To see Amanda's page on GoCrimson.com, please click here.

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Ahmed Abdel Khalek is entering his junior year at Bates College. This season we expect him to win his first College Squash individual national championship.

Khalek went 17-0 in his sophomore season but decided to skip the national individual tournament to focus on his academics. In his 17 wins, he only needed to play more than the required minimum number of games three times.

Abdel Khalek is coached at Bates by Pat Cosquer.

Khalek isn't a flashy player. The left hander's game is characterized by unrelenting consistency. In many ways, he reminds us of Egyptian legend Amr Shabana.

To see Ahmed's Bates College page, please click here.

Women's College Squash Pre-Season Rankings

Squash Ezine Pre-Season Rank		College (last season's final rank in (parenthesis)		Note
1)		Harvard University (2)		Powered by Sobhy
2)		Princeton University (5)		Driven to succeed
3)		University of Pennsylvania (4)		Strong international recruiting
4)		Yale University (3)		Best team culture in America
5)		Trinity College (1)		We picked 'em #5 last year and they won it all
6)		Columbia University (10)		A program on the rise
7)		Cornell University (6)		Solid ever year
8)		George Washington University (9)		Trending up
9)		Stanford University (7)		Nice group
10)		Dartmouth College (8)		Still a top 10 team
11)		Drexel University (14)		Good recruiting class
12)		Franklin and Marshall College (18)		Brutal year last year. Rebounding this year.
13)		Brown University (11)		Quality program
14)		Williams College (13)		America's best school (says Forbes)
15)		St. Lawrence University (20)		Solid recruits
16)		Wesleyan University (21)		Anchored by very strong #1
17)		Bates College (12)		Strong senior leadership.
18)		Middlebury College (15)		Transitioning
19)		Amherst College (17)		Consistent program.
20)		Hamilton College (16)		Lots of new faces this year
21)		Bowdoin College (19)		Often improves late in the year
22)		Tufts University (27)		Deeper program this year
23)		Colby College (23)		Nice team playing the game the right way
24)		University of Virginia (25)		Best club team in America
25)		Connecticut College (30)		Sorry Mt. Holyoke. We flipped a coin.

Men's College Squash Pre-Season Rankings

Pre-Season Rank		College (Last year's final ranking in parenthesis)		Notes
1)		Columbia University (10)		You heard it here first
2)		Harvard University (1)		With Mike Way in charge, expect them to always be a contender
3)		Yale University (3)		Always elite
4)		St. Lawrence University (5)		Most talented team, but we're not sure they can keep all their guys on court
5)		Trinity College (2)		Trending down
6)		University of Pennsylvania (8)		Trending up
7)		Drexel University (16)		Breakthrough year . . . IF Coach White can keep his players eligible and healthy
8)		Cornell University (6)		Still an A Division team
9)		University of Rochester (7)		Need more depth
10)		Franklin and Marshall College (4)		Back to earth after last year's epic finish
11)		Williams College (14)		Solid program
12)		Bates College (12)		Drama, drama, drama
13)		Naval Academy (15)		The fittest team in college squash
14)		Dartmouth College (11)		Un-official mascot is "Keggy" the Keg
15)		Wesleyan University (19)		Becoming a power
16)		George Washington University (20)		This coach can recruit
17)		Princeton University (9)		A "Gentleman's C" Division Champion
18)		Brown University (18)		Probably the team with the highest SAT scores
19)		Bowdoin College (21)		Great school and great kids
20)		Amherst College (22)		Good recruiting year
21)		University of Western Ontario (12)		Too much talent lost
22)		Middlebury College (19)		A transitional year
23)		Hamilton College (24)		Preppiest team in squash
24)		Colby College (23)		Nice team and nice coach
25)		Stanford University (28)		Best club team in the nation