Merchant Wins Molloy Consolation Championship at CSA Nationals

by: 

Whit Haynes

Amay Merchant won the Molloy Consolation Championship on Sunday

St. Lawrence University's Amay Merchant became the second Saint player in program history to capture a title at the College Squash Association individual nationals on Sunday when he won the Molloy Division Consolation Championship with a 3-0 win over teammate Alex Dodge.

Merchant, who played at one and two for the Saints in the 2009-10 season, joins Jamie McAvity as the Saint Molloy Division Consolation Championship. McAvity won his title in 2006. Merchant finishes his first season of collegiate squash with a 12-15 individual record. He was 2-5 at the one spot in the lineup and 6-9 at two in addition to going 4-1 in the CSA Individual Championships.

Dodge was a late add to the draw when Brown's Ben Clayman injured his back and had to withdraw. The Saint junior traveled with the guaranteed entries, planning on having his father pick him up to start spring break. Instead he played a lot of squash as he took Clayman's place in the draw...playing under Clayman's name in the on-line reporting...and three of his five matches went to five games and another went four.

Merchant, in his first year as a collegiate squash player, lost a marathon opening match in the main Molloy draw to Christian Henze of Williams, battling back from 2-0 down to force a fifth game. Henze won games one and two 11-4 and 11-2, but Merchant posted back-to-back 13-11 wins before losing in the final game 11-6.

The Saint rookie did not lose another match in marching through the consolation bracket. He beat Caleb Garza of Connecticut College 3-1 (8-11, 11-4, 11-8, 11-7) in the first consolation match, and then ousted Sam Gould of Stanford 3-1 in the consolation quarterfinals, winning game one 11-6, losing 11-6 in game two and then closing it out with 11-8 and 11-7 wins.

Merchant beat Anthony Zou of NYU 3-0 in the consolation semifinals, winning 11-5, 11-1 and 11-9 and won in three straight against Dodge in the consolation final Sunday morning, 11-6, 11-5, 11-2.

Dodge lost his first match of the tournament to Nick Marks of Williams, the first of his three 3-2 matches, 8-11, 12-10, 6-11, 11-7, 11-9. He beat Palmer Higgins of Bowdoin 3-1 in his first consolation match, winning 12-10, 8-11, 11-6, 11-8 and then topped Christian Rosstad of Northeastern 3-2 in a see-saw consolation quarterfinal. Rosstad won game one 11-4, Dodge returned the favor in game two with an 11-4 win and won game three 12-10, Rosstad won game four 11-5 and Dodge advanced to the semis with a 11-7 win in game five. He then beat Colgate's Robert McGary 3-2 to advance to meet Merchant. McGary won game one 11-5, Dodge won the next two games 11-8 and 11-7, McGary won 11-6 and Dodge closed the match with a 13-11 win in game five.

Dodge, who missed first semester action while studying abroad, finished his year with a 10-8 record, playing in the three slot for the Saints.

Sophomore Scott Phillips also played in the national individual championships, beating Valentin Quan of Middlebury 3-2 in his opening match in Molloy competition. Quan won games one and two, 11-8 and 11-4, but Phillips came back with back to back 13-11 wins to tie the match and won it with a 11-8 victory in game five. Phillips lost in his second round match to sixth seeded Jason  Michas of Harvard 11-6, 11-5, 11-8 and lost to Juan Pablo Gaviria of Rochester 12-10, 11-4, 11-5 in the consolation round.