Squash Introduces Seven Newcomers
8/23/2023 9:05:00 AM | General, Men's Squash, Women's Squash
Four men, three women join squash programs
NEW YORK — The Columbia men's and women's squash programs formally introduced a combined seven newcomers for the 2023-24 season on Wednesday. The men's team welcomes Laszlo Godde, Tommy Soltanian, Shaurya Bawa and Paarth Ambani. The women's team welcomes Kaavya Bansal, Eugenia Li and Advita Sharma.
"The Columbia coaching staff is extremely excited to welcome this group of new Lions to campus," Kenneth W. Torrey Head Coach of Squash Chris Sachvie said. "They come with a wealth of international experience and are going to add depth all over our lineups. There is a lot of talent and leadership potential in this group and, most importantly, they are all great people.
Information on the incoming class can be found below. Click here to access the 2023-24 men's roster. Click here to access the 2023-24 women's roster.
MEN'S NEWCOMERS:
Laszlo Godde – Fr. – CC – La Rochelle, France / Lycée Jean Dautet
Godde arrives in Morningside Heights from the western coastal city of La Rochelle, France. He has experience playing for the French National Team and has competed at both European and World Junior Championships. Godde took third at the 2018 European Team Junior Championships and won the 2023 Czech Junior Open. He also brings experience from the PSA World Tour and holds a world ranking of No. 156. The Frenchman is also ranked No. 5 among world juniors, including No. 1 among French juniors.
Tommy Soltanian – Fr. – CC – Baltimore, Md. / Gilman School
Soltanian competed for four years on the Gilman School squash team. He is a two-time All-America selection who has held a national ranking as high as No. 2 in the United States. The DMV native is also a two-time member of Team USA. He competed for the red, white and blue as part of the USA's 2023 World Junior Team. Soltanian is also a two-time winner of the US Squash Student-Athlete Award.
Shaurya Bawa – Fr. – CC – New Delhi, India / Modern School
Bawa will bring his squash talents from the Indian capital of New Delhi to New York City. Among his many accolades, Bawa was selected to represent India at the WSF World Junior Team and Individual Championships, Asian Junior Individual Championships and Asian Junior Team Championships. He helped his school team win the Indian Public Schools' Conference (IPSC) Squash Championship three times, finishing second individually in the Boys Under 19 Division all three of those years. Bawa has been ranked the No. 1 junior squash player in India as of 2022, as well as the No. 4 junior squash player in all of Asia.
Paarth Ambani – Fr. – CC – Mumbai, India / Dhirubhai Ambani International School
Ambani arrives at Columbia from Mumbai, the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Like Bawa he has excelled in the junior ranks, sitting as high as No. 1 this year in India and as high as No. 2 in all of Asia. He helped India finish second at the Asian Junior Team Championships and represented India last month at the World Junior Squash Championships. In 2022, he helped India finish fifth at World Junior Team Championships. Ambani has also been awarded several Subject Achievement Awards in various subjects at his school.
WOMEN'S NEWCOMERS:
Kaavya Bansal – Fr. – CC – Mumbai, India / Bombay Scottish School
Bansal hopes to strengthen the women's lineup this season, entering Columbia as a two-time No. 1-ranked Junior out of India in both 2020 and 2022. She was selected for Asian Juniors in 2019 and played in India's No. 2 spot in the lineup. Bansal was also ranked No. 2 in all of Asia in 2020, as well as the continent's No. 6 junior player in 2022. Among her highlights are placing fourth at the Penang Junior Open in 2016, winning silver at the Cologne and Dutch Junior Open in 2018, as well as winning bronze at the 2018 Asian Juniors.
Eugenia Li – Fr. – CC – Malvern, Pa. / The Baldwin School
Eugenia Li enters Columbia as a four-year member of the varsity squash team at The Baldwin School in Pennsylvania. She was her school's No. 1 player as a junior and senior, including team captain as a senior in 2022-23. She led The Baldwin School to back-to-back second-place finishes at Nationals those two seasons. A US Squash Scholar-Athlete, Li is a three-time Inter-Academic League First Team selection and two-time Pennsylvania Regional Finalist. She holds rankings as high as No. 7 at the U15 level, No. 1 at U17 and No. 9 at U19.
Advita Sharma – Fr. – SEAS – New Delhi, India / Mount St. Mary's School
Advita will become the second Sharma in her family to represent the Columbia women's squash team. A native of the Indian capital of New Delhi, she is the sister of Pranjali Sharma, who competed for the Lions from 2018-22. Advita was selected to represent India at Asian Junior Individual Championships in both 2022 and 2023, as well as the 2023 World Junior Championships. She finished among the top eight among U17s at the 2022 Asian Junior Championships, as well as 30th overall at the August 2023 Asian Junior Championships.
FOLLOW THE LIONS:
For the latest on the Columbia squash programs, be sure to follow the teams on Twitter and Instagram (@CULionsSquash), on Facebook (Facebook.com/ColumbiaSquash), or by visiting GoColumbiaLions.com.
