MONTREAL - Three members of the McGill University men's squash club have earned OUA all-conference honours and Eric Dingle, their head coach, has been voted as the league's coach of the year.

 

In voting conducted by the league's coaches, McGill's Ben Marien of Westmount, Que., was one of six players voted to the first all-star squad while teammates Nick James and Hussein Rahemtulla, both natives of Vancouver, B.C., each earned second-team honours.

 

Dingle, a native of Calgary who is currently employed as a software engineer for Google in Montreal, guided the Redmen to a surprising 9-3 second-place finish in his first season as head coach at McGill. He is a former five-time OUA all-star and graduated from the University of Waterloo, where he was a three-time player-of-the-year in the OUA, from 2006 to 2009. In his final season, he went undefeated in OUA play and won a silver medal at the Canadian University and College Championships.

 

The McGill men's squash team now has their eyes set on the OUA championship tournament set to take place at the University of Waterloo, Feb. 13-14.

 

 

One men's semifinal features McGill and Queen's in an Old Four showdown. Ben Marien, James and Rahemtulla will represent the Redmen, while Paul Gartenburg of Toronto and Alex Ford of New Liskeard, Ont., will suit up for the Gaels. McGill last won an OUA championship in 1969. Queen's and McMaster have never won the title.

 

The other men's semifinal pits the Western Mustangs against McMaster.  Western will be led by Strachan Jarvis of Toronto, rookie of the year Brian Hong of Toronto, Ryan Herden of Vancouver and Kimesh Chetty of Hamilton. McMaster is led by Hassan Muhammad of Scarbouough, Ont., Ahmed Shohayeb of Hamilton, Ont., and Colin Chisholm of Ancaster, Ont., who will look to upset the heavily-favoured Mustangs, who have won 26 consecuitive league championshps.

 

The women's squash all-stars will be announced Friday.

 

2010 OUA MEN'S SQUASH ALL-STARS & AWARD WINNERS

First Team

Paul Gartenburg (Toronto) - Queen's

Brian Hong (Toronto) - Western

Strachan Jarvis (Toronto) - Western

Ben Marien (Westmount, Que.) - McGill

Hassan Muhammad (Scarborough, Ont.) - McMaster

Ahmed Shohayeb (Hamilton, Ont.) - McMaster

 

Second Team

Kimesh Chetty (Hamilton, Ont.) - Western

Kumar Erramilli (Scarborough, Ont.) - Waterloo

Ryan Herden (Vancouver) - Western

Nick James (North Vancouver, B.C.) - McGill

Adrian Pond (Toronto) - Toronto

Hussein Rahemtulla (Vancouver) - McGill

 

MAJOR AWARD WINNERS

 

Player of the Year: (tie) Hassan Muhammad (McMaster) & Strachan Jarvis (Western)

Rookie of the Year: Brian Hong (Western)

Coach of the Year: Eric Dingle (McGill)

 

 

2010 OUA SQUASH CHAMPIONSHIPS

Northfield Racquet Club, 155 Northfield Drive, Waterloo, Ont.

Saturday, February 13

Semifinals - 10 a.m.

Men: Western vs. McMaster; McGill vs. Queen's

Women: Queen's vs. Toronto; Western vs. McMaster

 

Finals - 2 p.m.

Gold: Semifinal winners

Bronze: Semifinal losers

 

 

SOURCE:

Earl Zukerman

Communications Officer

McGill Athletics & Recreation

514-398-7012

earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca