Velazquez Wins Molloy South Consolation Bracket
PHILADELPHIA – Four members of the Virginia men’s squash team competed at the 2024 National Collegiate Individual Championships March 8-10 at the Arlen Specter Center in Philadelphia, Pa.
Sophomore JP Tew won two matches on Friday to advance to the semifinals of the B-Division Molloy Cup East bracket. Junior Max Velazquez won the Molloy South consolation bracket.
Tew defeated Rithik Jalali of Vassar 11-7, 11-4, 11-6 in the Round of 16 and downed Joe Smythe of Dickinson 3-0 in the quarterfinals. On Saturday, Tew was topped 11-13, 11-7, 11-7, 11-8 by Avi Agarwai of Princeton in the semifinals. This was Tew’s second straight year advancing to the Molloy Cup semifinals.
Velazquez lost his opener 3-0 against Aaron Liang of Cornell but bounced back with an 11-5, 11-3, 11-4 win against Laszlo Godde of Columbia in the consolation bracket. Two players dropped out of the consolation bracket, advancing Velazquez and Luis Moncada of Rochester to the final which Velazquez won 9-11, 11-5, 11-6, 12-10. The consolation championship gives him a ninth-place overall finish in Molloy South. This was his first time competing in the individual championship.
Junior Petr Nohel battled for a 3-11, 11-2, 11-9, 9-11, 11-7 victory in his Molloy Cup West bracket opener but fell 3-0 against Youssef Bastawy of Drexel in the quarterfinals. This was his third time competing at the individual championships.
Senior Taha Dinana competed in the A-Bracket, known as the Pool Trophy, but fell 3-1 against Siow Yee Xian of Yale in the first match. Dinana did not play in the consolation. This was his first time competing for the Pool Trophy., He played in the Molloy Cup in 2022.
RESULTS – Molloy Cup
16 JP Tew (Virginia) def. Rithik Jalali (Vassar) 11-7, 11-4, 11-6
QF JP Tew (Virginia) def. Joe Smythe (Dickinson) 11-7, 11-5, 11-9
SF Avi Agarwal (Princeton) def. JP Tew (Virginia) 11-13, 11-7, 11-7, 11-8
16 Aaron Liang (Cornell) def. Maxwell Velazquez (Virginia) 11-7, 11-8, 11-3
CQF Maxwell Velazquez (Virginia) def. Laszlo Godde (Columbia) 11-5, 11-3, 11-4
CSF Maxwell Velazquez (Virginia) def. Juan Felipe Hernandez, DF
CF Maxwell Velazquez (Virginia) def. Luis Moncada (Rochester) 9-11, 11-5, 11-6, 12-10
16 Petr Nohel (Virginia) def. Omar Ali (Dickinson) 3-11, 11-2, 11-9, 9-11, 11-7
QF Youssef Bastawy (Drexel) def. Petr Nohel (Virginia) 11-6, 11-8, 11-8
Results – Pool Trophy
16 Siow Yee Xian (Yale) def. Taha Dinana (Virginia) 11-5, 6-11, 11-5, 11-8