After a season marked by milestones, senior tri-captain Jake Gross looks to make one more splash in the world of college squash. Riding a 17-2 mark this season, Gross will travel to Navy tomorrow for the College Squash Association Individual Championships.
The No. 1 for Tufts has already accrued several honors, including setting a new win record with a 53-21 career mark, as well as being named to his first All-NESCAC team. According to the CSA rankings from Jan. 15, Gross is No. 26 in the nation.
The CSA Individual Championships is a single-elimination tournament consisting of the top 32 collegiate players in the United States. There are also two consolation brackets for those who fall in the first or second rounds.
Gross's first-round opponent has yet to be determined. The CSA rankings are currently flawed, according to Tufts head coach Doug Eng, as they have Gross losing a match to Williams senior Jon Barry. Gross actually beat Barry twice this year, first on Nov. 17 and later on Feb. 1.
This inaccuracy should be corrected before the tournament, but depending on that and on who decides to compete, Gross could be playing an opponent ranked as high as No. 3 in the nation or as low as No. 14. Gross believes his opponent will most likely fall between No. 8 and No. 14. Either way, it will take a top-class performance to compete against players of this caliber.
"He has to be a little more steady with the best players," Eng said. "Sometimes he gets a little frustrated, and the good players aren't going to make many mistakes, so you can't make them either. He's got to cut down on forehand errors in particular, and when he gets into tight matches, he's got to close them out."
Going into this tournament, in which he will face off against the best in the country, Gross will be looking to win at least one match, be it in the first round or in the consolation bracket. A first-round win should earn the Tufts senior an All-American bid, which goes to the top 20 players in the country.
Eng looks for Gross to use his athletic ability, high level of conditioning and stellar backcourt play to wear down his opponents and finish off his career as a Jumbo with yet another honor.
"My goal is to make All-American," Gross said. "Anything short will be a disappointment. That entails winning one in the main draw or a couple in the consolation. I'm very excited; I have been training hard for the last couple weeks and I am just looking to keep it simple and play to my strengths."
