George Washington University Athletics
Friday, November 9
Washington, DC
7:30pm
George Washington University
vs
Georgetown
Family First
11/7/2018 10:23:00 AM | Men's Squash, My GW: Celebrating our Stories
Diverse men's squash squad shares unique bond
A carefully curated Spotify playlist provides the soundtrack to GW men's squash practice.
Of course, there are American favorites spanning rap, country and pop on there, but Latin, Arabic and Israeli hits also fill the air during warmups at the Matthew J. Grossman Squash Courts. There are some Reggae and Soca tunes popular in senior captain Julian Jervis' homeland of the Cayman Islands, too.
"Something to get your hips moving, you know?" Jervis said with a smile.
The eclectic mix is necessary to satisfy the musical tastes of a roster featuring 13 student-athletes from nine different countries. And the Colonials wouldn't have it any other way.
"It's all over the place, but you see everybody joins in on every song," Jervis said. "We've all tried to learn the words."
Scanning the roster, the program is as internationally diverse as it's ever been in 12 seasons under head coach Wendy Lawrence, but this group is as close as any that she's has coached, as well.
The Colonials are hoping that family atmosphere can help them continue their climb up the national rankings. After finishing a program-best ninth last season, they're well-positioned for more improvement heading into Friday's season opener against Georgetown.
"It's something that makes a difference when you're playing," said senior captain Moudy Abdel-Maksoud, a native of Cairo, Egypt. "When it's the close moments, you know your teammates are really pushing for you, and it's these little things that make you really hang on in the matches. I think that has a lot to do with the fact that we're all different but we're similar in our differences."
Lawrence's first team at GW had no foreign-born student-athletes. The Colonials added Jose Calderon out of Colombia for the 2008-09 season and have continued to develop their international recruiting with each passing season.
Recruiting worldwide can be a painstaking process that requires building and maintaining connections across the globe, but that far-reaching approach has undoubtedly fueled GW's growth on the national scene.
International recruits now target the Colonials because of their location in the nation's capital and reputation for welcoming and developing a diverse cast of student-athletes, on and off the court.
"It's been wonderful," Lawrence said. "The cliché is that sports brings everybody together. With us, that's completely true."
When Juan Laguna arrived from Colombia in 2016, he relied on the upperclassmen, including a pair of friends from his home country, to ease his transition to a new environment.
Laguna wasn't used to the physical demands of a college program with regular lifting sessions and more conditioning than he'd ever taken on before. He needed help picking classes and learning to balance a full course load in his second language.
Now a junior, Laguna is the one passing on the lessons to newcomers making the same adjustment.
The latest group included three first-years from three different countries. Regardless of where they're from, they seem to have many of the same questions he once did.
"You just make them feel they're with a family," Laguna said. "You treat them very well. Every question that they have you try to answer the best way possible. You try to show them that going to college is a very good experience – and it's better with us."
That bond is a testament to the culture in place. Most international student-athletes arrive without much experience in team competition. Often, they've done the majority of their training through the youth ranks working one-on-one with a coach.
This group's camaraderie shows up on their courts in the Lerner Health & Wellness Center where the jokes fly freely in English, Spanish, Hebrew and Arabic and the coaches are known to write messages on the whiteboard in all four languages.
The Colonials gather together to play intramural soccer, watch international squash events and eat weekly team dinners during the season. Recently, they went together as a group to try their hand at hot yoga.
"I kid you not, I could barely stand at the end," Abdel-Maksoud said, "but I know everyone had a blast."
Each of them have picked up bits and pieces of the other cultures along the way.
Laguna has shared a slice of his past by cooking traditional Colombian arepas for teammates, but he's also eager to branch out when he can, such as his recent foray into the world of Fortnite.
Growing up in Kuwait, Mohammad Alterki never mixed music and squash. These days when he returns to his homeland during breaks, he surprises his friends by turning on the tunes during his practice sessions.
His most recent add to the group playlist was Shou Helou by Lebanese artist Ziad Bourji.
"Now, I'm used to it," Alterki said. "When a song plays and everyone knows that's my song, it's a fun thing."
GW's international flair has real benefits on the court, as well. Different countries are known to play distinctive styles that meld together in Foggy Bottom.
The Americans are known for their fitness and marathon rallies, which can offer an eye-opening challenge for newcomers from abroad. The South Americans bring a game that's built on smooth, fluid movement and tricky shot-making, while the Middle Easterners specialize in an aggressive, attacking style.
With the Colonials, there's an openness to learn and teach that boosts the collective group.
"Everyone is so different and unique in their own game," Abdel-Maksoud said. "You play with them so much that it's like 'OK, I keep seeing this shot that's working, I'm going to try to learn it.'"
The results have followed: Last February, GW claimed their first Hoehn Cup Championship with a 6-3 victory over Yale in the final. The Colonials had fallen to the Bulldogs, 7-2, a month prior, but they summoned their best when it counted.
Jervis was proud to hear the commentators on the broadcast at the national championships pointed to the team's camaraderie as one of its keys to success.
"Our team dynamic is so easy to spot," said Jervis, who represented his homeland over the summer at the Pan American Squash Championships. "It's like everybody's so jovial and feels welcome. We just have a lot of fun."
Hopes are high heading into the new season with seven Colonials back who saw action in the Hoehn Cup final, led by Abdel-Maksoud, who earned second-team All-America honors last year.
It's no surprise the captains have made maintaining that team chemistry a major priority as they push for more history.
Abdel-Maksoud and Jervis are roommates who take their leadership role seriously. A bumping team playlist is just part of their plan for one of the athletic department's most diverse programs.
"We said we didn't want to leave anyone behind," Abdel-Maksoud said. "We're really focused on bringing the team that family aspect. And it's a very, very unique family."
The men's squash team will kickoff its 2018-19 season on Friday at 7:30 p.m. when it hosts local foe Georgetown at the Matthew J. Grossman Squash Courts in the Lerner Health and Wellness Center.
Of course, there are American favorites spanning rap, country and pop on there, but Latin, Arabic and Israeli hits also fill the air during warmups at the Matthew J. Grossman Squash Courts. There are some Reggae and Soca tunes popular in senior captain Julian Jervis' homeland of the Cayman Islands, too.
"Something to get your hips moving, you know?" Jervis said with a smile.
The eclectic mix is necessary to satisfy the musical tastes of a roster featuring 13 student-athletes from nine different countries. And the Colonials wouldn't have it any other way.
"It's all over the place, but you see everybody joins in on every song," Jervis said. "We've all tried to learn the words."
Scanning the roster, the program is as internationally diverse as it's ever been in 12 seasons under head coach Wendy Lawrence, but this group is as close as any that she's has coached, as well.
The Colonials are hoping that family atmosphere can help them continue their climb up the national rankings. After finishing a program-best ninth last season, they're well-positioned for more improvement heading into Friday's season opener against Georgetown.
"It's something that makes a difference when you're playing," said senior captain Moudy Abdel-Maksoud, a native of Cairo, Egypt. "When it's the close moments, you know your teammates are really pushing for you, and it's these little things that make you really hang on in the matches. I think that has a lot to do with the fact that we're all different but we're similar in our differences."
Lawrence's first team at GW had no foreign-born student-athletes. The Colonials added Jose Calderon out of Colombia for the 2008-09 season and have continued to develop their international recruiting with each passing season.
Recruiting worldwide can be a painstaking process that requires building and maintaining connections across the globe, but that far-reaching approach has undoubtedly fueled GW's growth on the national scene.
International recruits now target the Colonials because of their location in the nation's capital and reputation for welcoming and developing a diverse cast of student-athletes, on and off the court.
"It's been wonderful," Lawrence said. "The cliché is that sports brings everybody together. With us, that's completely true."
When Juan Laguna arrived from Colombia in 2016, he relied on the upperclassmen, including a pair of friends from his home country, to ease his transition to a new environment.
Laguna wasn't used to the physical demands of a college program with regular lifting sessions and more conditioning than he'd ever taken on before. He needed help picking classes and learning to balance a full course load in his second language.
Now a junior, Laguna is the one passing on the lessons to newcomers making the same adjustment.
The latest group included three first-years from three different countries. Regardless of where they're from, they seem to have many of the same questions he once did.
"You just make them feel they're with a family," Laguna said. "You treat them very well. Every question that they have you try to answer the best way possible. You try to show them that going to college is a very good experience – and it's better with us."
That bond is a testament to the culture in place. Most international student-athletes arrive without much experience in team competition. Often, they've done the majority of their training through the youth ranks working one-on-one with a coach.
This group's camaraderie shows up on their courts in the Lerner Health & Wellness Center where the jokes fly freely in English, Spanish, Hebrew and Arabic and the coaches are known to write messages on the whiteboard in all four languages.
The Colonials gather together to play intramural soccer, watch international squash events and eat weekly team dinners during the season. Recently, they went together as a group to try their hand at hot yoga.
"I kid you not, I could barely stand at the end," Abdel-Maksoud said, "but I know everyone had a blast."
Each of them have picked up bits and pieces of the other cultures along the way.
Laguna has shared a slice of his past by cooking traditional Colombian arepas for teammates, but he's also eager to branch out when he can, such as his recent foray into the world of Fortnite.
Growing up in Kuwait, Mohammad Alterki never mixed music and squash. These days when he returns to his homeland during breaks, he surprises his friends by turning on the tunes during his practice sessions.
His most recent add to the group playlist was Shou Helou by Lebanese artist Ziad Bourji.
"Now, I'm used to it," Alterki said. "When a song plays and everyone knows that's my song, it's a fun thing."
GW's international flair has real benefits on the court, as well. Different countries are known to play distinctive styles that meld together in Foggy Bottom.
The Americans are known for their fitness and marathon rallies, which can offer an eye-opening challenge for newcomers from abroad. The South Americans bring a game that's built on smooth, fluid movement and tricky shot-making, while the Middle Easterners specialize in an aggressive, attacking style.
With the Colonials, there's an openness to learn and teach that boosts the collective group.
"Everyone is so different and unique in their own game," Abdel-Maksoud said. "You play with them so much that it's like 'OK, I keep seeing this shot that's working, I'm going to try to learn it.'"
The results have followed: Last February, GW claimed their first Hoehn Cup Championship with a 6-3 victory over Yale in the final. The Colonials had fallen to the Bulldogs, 7-2, a month prior, but they summoned their best when it counted.
Jervis was proud to hear the commentators on the broadcast at the national championships pointed to the team's camaraderie as one of its keys to success.
"Our team dynamic is so easy to spot," said Jervis, who represented his homeland over the summer at the Pan American Squash Championships. "It's like everybody's so jovial and feels welcome. We just have a lot of fun."
Hopes are high heading into the new season with seven Colonials back who saw action in the Hoehn Cup final, led by Abdel-Maksoud, who earned second-team All-America honors last year.
It's no surprise the captains have made maintaining that team chemistry a major priority as they push for more history.
Abdel-Maksoud and Jervis are roommates who take their leadership role seriously. A bumping team playlist is just part of their plan for one of the athletic department's most diverse programs.
"We said we didn't want to leave anyone behind," Abdel-Maksoud said. "We're really focused on bringing the team that family aspect. And it's a very, very unique family."
The men's squash team will kickoff its 2018-19 season on Friday at 7:30 p.m. when it hosts local foe Georgetown at the Matthew J. Grossman Squash Courts in the Lerner Health and Wellness Center.
Players Mentioned
GW Women's Basketball vs. Loyola-Chicago (WNIT Super 16 Post-Game Press Conference)
Saturday, March 28
2025-26 GW Athletics Jersey Recognitions
Monday, March 23
GW Women's Basketball vs. Bradley (WNIT Post-Game Press Conference)
Friday, March 20
GW Men's Basketball vs. St. Bonaventure (Post-Game Press Conference)
Thursday, March 05