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Rallying their way to an OUA title

What combines stamina, speed, quick reaction times and was rated by Forbes magazine as the healthiest sport? The answer is squash—and I’m not talking about the vegetable.

The Mustangs squash teams are not often put into the spotlight, but they have been shining all on their own this season. Both the men’s and women’s teams took home Ontario University Athletic titles for the second consecutive year at the 2012 OUA squash championships at the University of Toronto.

“Our ultimate goal was to win the OUA title. Our players are especially motivated to perpetuate the winning streak of championships that enriches the proud tradition of Mustang squash,” Jack Fairs, coach of the men’s squash team, explained. “No one wants to be a member of the losing team that ends the streak. The title recognizes distinguished and enduring record of accomplishment.”

Both teams finished on top of their pools with 2-0 records before heading into the semi-finals. The men’s team faced the McMaster Marauders in the semi-finals and the Queen’s Gaels in the finals, winning both matches 6-0. Similarly, the women’s team went 6-0 in both the semi-final and final, defeating the Marauders and Waterloo Warriors, respectively.

“The men’s squash team over the years has won 39 OUA championships, which is unmatched by any other team in Western athletics,” Fairs said.

The men did not lose a single match and the women only dropped one point in their pool with a 5-1 win over Waterloo.

For the men’s team, going up against Queen’s was supposed to be their biggest challenge.

“We faced Queen’s in the final again this year. They are solid, but we didn’t have too much trouble,” Rafik Bhaloo, a fifth-year player, said.

Fairs insisted the men were able to beat Queen’s because of their talent and depth.

“We were superior in applying pressure and where and when to use it. We played the game at our tempo and were superior in getting the ball into the back corners,” Fairs said.

Similarly, the women’s team went into the championships with rivals.
“We’d traded titles with Queen’s for the last few years, so we knew they wanted it back. UofT always has strength in their depth and Waterloo had a very strong top three that could do some damage.  We knew that for all of these teams we had to use our strength in the fourth, fifth and sixth spots to take the pressure off of the first, second and third spots,” Laura Savage, the women’s head coach, explained.

The mentality of the sport was an area of focus for the Mustangs’ this season.

“We had the advantage of using Craig Hall [a kinesiology professor at Western] and his grad student, Danielle Tobin, to run sports psychology sessions for the team, which helped a lot with the mental side of the sport,” Savage said.

Fifth-year player Giselle Delgado believed dedication and motivation were the keys to the women’s success.

“The skill level between the girls was similar, so I think that was motivating to try harder to place in the top six. We trained hard on the court, and the mental aspect of the game too, which I think was also helpful. We were a lot calmer at tournaments because we felt prepared,” Delgado said.

If bringing home two OUA titles wasn’t enough, the team received recognition in several categories, including OUA Male Rookie of the Year, Championship MVP, OUA Men’s Coach of the Year, and took four of the six women’s OUA All-Star spots and all six of the men’s OUA All-Star spots.

“It was an awesome end to the year having all six of our players named to the OUA All-Star team. They normally cap each team at two or three players, but this year we swept the awards,” Bhaloo said. “It was also great to see senior Ryan Herden winning his fourth OUA title and being named tournament MVP.”

One thing the Mustangs’ squash coaches, players and their opponents can all attest to is the team doesn’t lack talent.

“To be a champion, the first requirement is talent,” Fairs said. “Talent is the source of the competitive advantage that we have enjoyed over our OUA opponents. The skills and habits of talent have to be refined for championship success.”

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