From George Washington

Colonials welcome six to strengthen ladder

WASHINGTON – George Washington men’s squash head coach Wendy Lawrence has announced that six student-athletes will join the Colonials for the 2017-18 season.

The class includes freshmen Mohammad Alterki (Mishref, Kuwait), Inaki de Laurrari Coral (Bogota, Columbia), Luke Stauffer (Philadelphia, Pa.), Zane Jeka (Philadelphia, Pa.), and Salim Khan (Bellevue, Wash.), as well as junior transfer from St. Lawrence Julian Jervis (Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands).

Mohammad Alterki
Fr.
Mishref, Kuwait/American Creativity Academy
High School/Club: Competed for Al-Arabi Sporting Club in Kuwait City … five-time winner of Best Player of the Season Award … helped Al-Arabi Sporting Club to seven Kuwait National League titles, including seven individual championships (2010-17) … two-time winner of the Gulf Championship (2015, 2016) … also represented Kuwait at the World Junior Squash Championships in 2014 & 2015.

Coach Lawrence on Alterki: “Mohammad is one of the top players in Kuwait and we are very excited to be welcoming him to GW this fall. He has represented his country twice at the World Junior Squash championships and has extensive international tournament experience. Mohammad is a very skilled and tricky player and we look forward to having him strengthen the top half of our lineup.”

Inaki de Laurrari Coral
Fr.
Bogota, Colombia/Gimnasio Campestre
High School/Club: Top junior player in Colombia … represented Colombia at the 2016 Pan American Junior Games in Philadelphia, Pa., and the 2017 World Junior Squash Championships in Tauranga, New Zealand, where he finished within the top-24 in the world.

Coach Lawrence on de Laurrari Coral: “Inaki continues a long line of Bogota, Colombia natives to join the GW Squash program. Inaki represented Colombia at the World Junior Squash Championships in New Zealand this summer and had a very impressive showing in the individual tournament, finishing 22nd overall. He has a very strong international squash resume having represented Colombia in several international squash events and we expect him to be a starter in the top half of our lineup.”

Luke Stauffer
Fr.
Philadelphia, Pa./Springside Chestnut Hill Academy
High School/Club: Two-time Most Valuable Player at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy … helped team to consecutive top-10 national finishes (fifth in 2015-16 and seventh in 2016-17).

Coach Lawrence on Stauffer: “Luke is another impressive player from Philadelphia and Springside Chestnut Hill Academy. He had a very strong US tournament and high school season in 2016-17 as he featured at No. 3 for SCHA and was a top-40 Boys Under 19 US ranked player. Luke is a hard worker and we are excited to have him compete for a top-nine spot.”

Zane Jeka
Fr.
Philadelphia, Pa./Springside Chestnut Hill Academy
High School/Club: Earned First Team All Inter-Ac Squash League honors as a sophomore, junior, and senior and was recognized on the Second Team as a freshman … recipient of the Four-Year Varsity Award as a senior and Edward C. Roer Award in his junior campaign …helped team to consecutive top-10 finishes (fifth in 2015-16 and seventh in 2016-`17) … went undefeated as a sophomore

Coach Lawrence on Jeka: “Zane is an impressive player from Philadelphia and Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, consistently one of the top high school squash programs in the country. He has a very strong US tournament record and featured in the top-2 for SCHA this season, a top-8 ranked team. Zane will be a solid competitor for a top-nine ladder position this season.”

Salim Khan
Fr.
Bellevue, Wash./Bellevue High School
High School/Club: Recipient of the 2017 US Squash DeRoy Sportsmanship Award … played for the Pro Sports Club and attended Bellevue High School … represented Team USA at the Battle of the Border and at the British Junior Open … finished as fifth ranked American BU19 Junior Player.

Coach Lawrence on Khan: “Salim is one of the top American junior players in the country (ranked No. 5 nationally), and we are very excited to be welcoming him to GW. He had a very strong showing at the World Junior Championships in New Zealand representing the United States this summer and we look forward to continuing that momentum this fall. Salim will step in and instantly improve our team, he is a very consistent and skilled player who’s playing style will translate very well to the college game.”

Julian Jervis
Jr.
Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
At St. Lawrence: Went 5-5 in official matches and was 3-1 in exhibitions in his rookie campaign … posted one win at No. 2, one at No. 6, one at No. 7, and two at No. 9.

High School/Club: Captain of the junior national team for the Cayman Islands … three-time Caribbean Junior Squash Champion … Island Games Gold Medalist … Jamaican Junior Open Champion … attended St. Ignatius Catholic School, where he was a member of the National Honor Society … also won the Student of the Year and Visual Arts Awards.

Coach Lawrence on Jervis: “Julian is a transfer student from top-five national powerhouse St. Lawrence University where he featured in their starting lineup for the past two seasons. A native of the Cayman Islands, Julian has represented his country at the junior and senior levels. This fall he will be representing the Cayman’s at the Pan American Championships in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Julian is a very consistent and steady player who has very valuable, high-level college match experience, he will be able to step in and improve the top half of our lineup.”

IMAGE: From Left to Right: Salim Khan, Mohammad Alterki, Inaki de Laurrari Coral, Julian Jervis, Zane Jeka, Luke Stauffer

For more on this story go to: http://www.gwsports.com/sports/m-squash/spec-rel/072417aaa.html