The weekend of February 23-25 saw the completion of the 2006-2007 US intercollegiate squash season, as the 2007 College National Menâs Team Championships came to a close at the Yale Universityâs Brady Squash Center in New Haven, Connecticut.
In a disappointing ending to a extremely competitive season, #14-seeded Franklin and Marshall College (featuring Vincentian Shane Slater) recovered from tough losses to #11 Cornell University and #15 Bowdoin College to defeat University of Rochester to claim 7th place in the Hoehn Division (teams ranked 9-16) and 15th overall.{{more}}
In the first round, Slater fought hard in a 6/9, 9/5, 9/6, 5/9, 5/9 loss to Cornellâs Mike Gelinas, as the Diplomats fell 2-7 to the Big Red. In the 2nd round, Slater reversed overcame Bowdoinâs Jacob Sack 9/2, 1/9, 9/5, 5/9, 9/1, claiming sweet revenge for an earlier 1-3 loss at the same venue. His heroics were to no avail, as the Bowdoin College Polar Bears reversed a 4-5 regular-season loss to oust the Diplomats 6-3.
In the final round of matches, the Diplomats got back to their winning ways, with a 7-2 triumph over the University of Rochester, with Slater recovering from a tight 9/10 first game loss to prevail 9/10, 9/2, 9/6, 9/0 over freshman Alex Lee. Although it was a disappointing finish for the team, who finished with a #12 ranking in 2005-2006, it was an outstanding year for Slater in only his 2nd year on the team. Despite moving up 3 spots to the tough no. 5 position on the team, the 18-year old baby of the team stepped up to the challenge, as he once again posted the most wins of the team,finishing with a 15-9 record (improving on his 14-9 record last year), including a 3-2 record during a brief stint at no. 4. With another competitive summer schedule ahead, he hopes to continue his rise up the team ladder in the 2007-2008 season.
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