The Fifty-First Annual
New England Interscholastic Squash Championships
February 27-29, 2004

Class "A" Team Tournament
George M. Ferris Athletic Center
Trinity College • Hartford, Connecticut

Class "B" Team Tournament
Kohn Squash Pavilion
Loomis Chaffee School • Windsor, Connecticut

Tournament format and schedule of play

     The Class "A" and "B" team tournaments have an identical structure. Each player accrues points for his team based on his finish position in one of seven individual tournament flights, each with feed-in and secondary consolation draws. There is a strong emphasis on participation in the event: players are guaranteed a minimum of three matches over the course of the weekend--most play more--and no competitors are eliminated from the tournament before Sunday. Individual trophies are awarded the champions and the runners-up in each of the seven flights.

     All entrants can expect to be scheduled to play at least one match on Friday evening. A handul in the Class "A" tournament will play two: some will compete in a qualifying draw to earn a position in either the main draw or the consolation draw. In all main draws in both tournaments, quarterfinal and semifinal matches will be contested on Saturday and the championship finals will be played on Sunday to conclude the tournament. Competitors who lose in either the first or second round of the consolation draws will play in a second consolation division on Sunday. Once a player loses on Sunday, he is done in the tournament.

     In the Class "A" competition, 1st through 8th places will be determined through the feed-in consolation and any playoffs necessary. Competitors will play only one match on Sunday, which means there will be ties for 9th, 11th, 13th, 15th, 17th, and 19th places. The smaller field in the Class "B" tournament means all finish places will be determined for the fourteen or fifteen players in each draw, #1 through #15. As such, some players will play twice on Sunday.

     There will be a meeting of all NEISA coaches at Loomis Chaffee School at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, following the conclusion of play at both venues. The Loomis Chaffee dining hall will serve dinner to all players and coaches between 7:15 and 8:00; the Brandes Trophy and Team Sportsmanship Awards will be presented at the tournament dinner.

 

About seeding and the draws

     The five-member NEISA Executive Committee determines tournament seeds and supervises the creation of the draws. The tournament director works with four coaches elected by their peers to reflect the geographic and competitive diversity of teams within the Association. The criteria considered in the seeding process include: winning percentage, number of match wins, total number of matches played, strength of schedule, results in and out of a particular position, head-to-head results, scores against common opponents, and other available information.

     All draws will have at least four seeded players, ranked 1 through 4. The top seed is automatically placed in line #1 on the draw and the second seed in line #16. The third and fourth seeds are assigned to either lines #8 or #9, determined at random. Any additional seeds identified by the Committee are grouped alphabetically (and considered co-#5 seeds) and assigned at random to lines #4, #5, #12, or #13 in the draw. The remaining competitors fill the remaining slots in the draw by random lot. Any first-round byes are placed opposite seeded players beginning with the top seed.

 

Links to entrant lists and all draws

     The NEISA uses computer software to create draws, schedule matches, and report results. By accessing the sites below, participants, coaches, and other interested parties can check entry lists by event, site information, and--by lunchtime on Friday, February 27--complete tournament draws, including starting times for matches. Coaches will receive more detailed draw sheets, along with instructions on how players move between various qualifying and consolation draws, when teams register on Friday evening.

     Information about the Class "A" tournament can be accessed by clicking here.

     Information about the Class "B" tournament can be accessed by clicking here.

School Abbreviations in the Draws

AND Phillips Academy Andover, MA
AOF Avon Old Farms School Avon, CT
BERK Berkshire School Sheffield, MA
BHS Belmont Hill School Belmont, MA
BRKS Brooks School North Andover, MA
BRUN Brunswick School Greenwich, CT
CANT Canterbury School New Milford, CT
CRH Choate Rosemary Hall Wallingford, CT
CON Concord Academy Concord, MA
DA Deerfield Academy Deerfield, MA
GFA Greens Farms Academy Greens Farms, CT
GROT Groton School Groton, MA
HOT Hotchkiss School Lakeville, CT
KENT Kent School Kent, CT
KO Kingswood-Oxford School West Hartford, CT
LC Loomis Chaffee School Windsor, CT
MBS Moses Brown School Providence, RI
MID Middlesex School Concord, MA
MILT Milton Academy Milton, MA
NOB Noble and Greenough School Dedham, MA
PEA Phillips Exeter Academy Exeter, NH
POMF Pomfret School Pomfret, CT
PORT Portsmouth Abbey School Portsmouth, RI
RCDS Rye Country Day School Rye, NY
SAL Salisbury School Salisbury, CT
SGS St. George's School Newport, RI
SMS St. Mark's School Southborough, MA
SPS St. Paul's School Concord, NH
SUFF Suffield Academy Suffield, MA
TAB Tabor Academy Marion, MA
TAFT Taft School Watertown, CT
TPS Trinity-Pawling School Pawling, NY
WEST Westminster School Simsbury, CT
WHE Wheeler School Providence, RI
WNS Williston Northampton School Easthampton, MA

     The NEISA is indebted to Dunlop Sports for supplying the official ball, the Dunlop Pro soft ball, for its championships. Dunlop has supported prep school squash by supplying balls for the tournament since 1992.

[ NEISA Home Page ]

Copyright © 2004 New England Interscholastic Squash Association. All rights reserved.
Last revised: February 26, 2004 1:50 PM