Coming off the 2005-06 seasons that saw the men’s and women’s squash teams make strides on the national level, the two squads are prepared to integrate new talent into the fold and cement their places on the national collegiate squash scene.

The men’s squash team made a statement in the D Division Nationals last year. While only posting an 11-15 record during the year, they fought hard on their way to placing third in the eight-team division.

That mark gave Wesleyan the rank of 27th nationally. Three players, including Benjie Messenger-Barnes ’09, went 3-0 in the tournament to spark the run.

“I thought we should’ve won the entire D division,” Messenger-Barnes said. “I think we can win it this year. All we need is for our players to play their best throughout the year.”

This season, Wesleyan will court a young, talented squash squad. Led by Captains JZ Golden ’08 and Evan Lodge ’08 the Cards look to compete around the NESCAC and get back to nationals.

The team has also added depth this year as several talented rookies (Robert Broadfoot ’10, Dan Charness ’10 and Nate Fowles ’10) expect to contribute greatly.

“We have a great crop of freshmen this year,” Messenger-Barnes said. “It is easy to see that they will only get better.”

With a solid returning core of players, a new batch of eager-beaver freshmen, and an excited head coach in Shona Kerr, the Cardinals squash should be a fun team to watch this winter.

“We have high hopes for this year, and we will be infinitely better in future years,” Messenger-Barnes said. “This year should prove to be a sign of things to come.”

On the women’s side, the team is ready to build upon the progress made last season. Last year the squad qualified for the C Division at the national tournament, the first time it reached that pinnacle in several seasons.

“We had a strong team, and only one person graduated so we are very hopeful about this year,” said Team Captain Christine Speir ’08.

Five players return from last season and, with three experienced freshmen, Kerr is excited about the team’s potential.

“I’m excited to welcome Casey Simchik [’10] and Gwynne Hunter [’10] to the women’s team, both first years that will play in the top-3,” Kerr said. “Returning to the team are Liz Demakos [’09] and Margaux Weisman [’09] who in their sophomore years should bring a little experience to the top four players. Being led by juniors Speir and Nicole Gray [’08], this team has two years to mature, which is very exciting.”

The Cardinals start the season Saturday with two afternoon matches against Wellesley and Northeastern.

“Wellesley is a close competitor, but I think we can definitely take them,” Speir said. “I’d really like to see us beat Northeastern. They are a little better than the teams we usually beat, but I think they are definitely within our reach this year, especially now that we have more experienced players, and all but two of our players are returning from last year.”

Even before the first official match, Speir thinks that the team has had a great pre-season, beating Smith twice in a scrimmage last week. The youthfullness of the team, the captain believes, will also work to the Cardinals’ advantage.

“We have no seniors on the team so we will keep improving over the next two years,” she said. “But I have no doubt that this year will be a fantastic opportunity to show other schools that Wes squash is no joke. In fact, we’re quite serious.”