There is only one gourd that thrives throughout the harsh New England winter: squash. With fifth-year Head Coach Shona Kerr returning along with the support of new Assistant Coach Jermaine Xaba, both the men and women’s teams are poised for breakout seasons in 2013-14. With a bevy of fresh recruits, emerging stars, and veteran leaders, the Wesleyan squash teams are prepared to compete with some of the premier lineups in the Northeast.

Despite going through the season without any senior leadership, the men’s squash team broke the school record for total wins with a 15-8 mark in 2012-13. Now with captains Ethan Moritz ’14, Zander Nassikas ’14, and John Steele ’14 atop the ladder, the Cardinals will look to make an even greater impression this winter. Taking on leadership roles last season, this bunch of captains is certainly ahead of the curve in terms of their maturity, according to the confident Moritz.

“Even though there were no seniors last year, we had a solid group of guys that have all been playing together for a few seasons now,” Moritz said. “This season adds more experience to our team, and since we didn’t lose any seniors, we are able to continue to build on the successes that we’ve had.”

Losing no seniors to graduation while gaining five new recruits will mean that this men’s team will have experience and depth to spare. The main problem Coach Kerr will have this season will come from deciding her starting nine from a crowded field of contenders.

“This team is really deep,” Moritz said. “We’re talented all the way down the ladder this year, which will give us an advantage in a lot of matches, especially against teams that are stacked towards the top but have a large drop off in the back of their order.”

Depth all the way down the roster was this squad’s calling card in 2012-13, as many matches came down to victories in the six through nine spots. Now that the Cardinals have reinforced their already frighteningly deep roster, they are in a position to climb up from their 18th overall national spot and into the “B” division of collegiate squash.

On the women’s team, the Cardinals will also start the season ranked 18th nationally and look to improve upon their record-setting 16-9 mark from the previous season. The Birds will be fighting a bit of an uphill battle, having lost three seniors against just two new recruits. However, veteran squasher Annie Maxwell ’15 thinks that this wintertime will prove favorable to the women’s team.

“I think we’re better than we give ourselves credit for, and such doubts can really be vicious in such a mental game,” Maxwell wrote in an email to The Argus. “In order to win those close matches, I think Coach Kerr has amped up the fitness this season with the help of new assistant coach Jermaine Xaba. We’re more fit than I remember us being in the past, which is an enormous benefit to our games and our confidence. Usually, we’re a middle-of-the-pack kind of team, but I think that has to do with our expectations for ourselves more than anything else. All of our players have great potential.”

Led by Captains Mary Foster ’14, Nell Schwed ’14, and Lauren Nelson ’15, the Cards will have a sturdy veteran backbone to rely on as they gear up to compete in a densely packed conference. Making up for lost depth will be the major question mark for this squad, and this weekend’s rally against Conn College will provide an excellent test. Although Wesleyan has proven to be much more capable than the Camels, evidenced by the fact that the Cards haven’t dropped a contest against Conn since 2007-08, the upcoming weekend series will challenge this squad’s mental fortitude.

Both the women’s and men’s teams will open up against Conn this Saturday, Nov. 16 in New London.