Following another season in which the University of Rochester squash team captured the Liberty League conference title, the Yellowjackets picked up seven total awards, including two major honors on Wednesday, following voting done by the league's coaches.
 
First-year player Gilberto Aceves Moreno was picked as the conference's Rookie of the Year, with Matt Dukarm and Omar Zakaria being picked as the Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year.
 
Individually, Aceves Moreno, junior Dhirren Rajarathinam and sophomore Thomas Valderrama, UR's top-three players on the ladder, received First Team All-League status. Sophomore Karim Moataz was the Yellowjackets lone Second Team selection, with first-year Arjith Mathew receiving Honorable Mention status.
 
Rajarathinam is the only player to have received prior All-Liberty League awards among those earning accolades this season. The junior co-captain is a 3-time All-Liberty League recipient, after securing Rookie of the Year and First Team honors two years ago as a member of Hobart, before being named a First Team selection in his first season with Rochester last year. Additionally, the Coaching Staff of the Year award for Dukarm and Zakaria is the seventh straight for the Yellowjackets and third straight for Dukarm, in just his third season leading the program.
 
Coaching Staff of the Year
Matt Dukarm and Omar Zakaria – 3rd All-LL honor (2025 COY, 2024 COY); The 2025-26 Yellowjackets won their seventh straight Liberty League title this season and finished with an overall record of 6-8. URochester qualified for the Hoehn Cup (B) Division Tournament at the College Squash Association Team Championships and ended the season as the highest-ranked Liberty League school once again. The Yellowjackets picked up top-25 wins this season against #22 Hamilton and #24 Chatham while narrowly falling by 5-4 scores to #17 Middlebury and #18 Western. UR also ended the campaign with a perfect 4-0 record against conference opponents, combining to win 29 of 36 individual matches in those contests.
 


Rookie of the Year/First Team
Gilberto Aceves Moreno (FY, Tonala, Mexico/Mercersburg Academy (PA) – 1st All-LL honor; Aceves Moreno held down the top spot on URochester's ladder all season long, ending with a 7-9 overall record (7-7 in dual matches). He went 1-1 at the Liberty League Championships and was 2-0 at the CSA Divisional Team Championships. Aceves Moreno was a 1-time Liberty League Performer of the Week and was a 3-time Rookie of the Week. The first-year qualified for the CSA Individual Championships (one of two from UR), and picked up individual wins this season against #13 MIT, #18 Western, #22 Hamilton and #24 Chatham.
 
First Team
Dhirren Rajarathinam (JR, Penang, Malaysia/Penang Free School) – 3rd All-LL honor (2024 1st Team/ROY, 2025 1st Team); Rajarathinam posted the most wins on the Yellowjackets in 2025-26, finishing with an 11-6 mark throughout the season, playing every match at the #2 position. He was 2-0 during the Liberty League Championships, and was one of two Yellowjackets to compete at the CSA Individual Championships, going 1-2 at that event, reaching the consolation semifinals. The junior was a two-time conference Player of the Week this season and posted individual wins against #13 MIT, #15 Navy, #17 Middlebury, #18 Western, #22 Hamilton and #24 Chatham, among others.
 


Thomas Valderrama (SO, Bogota, Columbia/Tabor Academy (MA) – 1st All-LL honor; Valderrama secured the best winning percentage (.714) on the team in 2025-26, scoring ten wins in 14 total matches. The sophomore started the year at number six on the ladder, eventually moving up be a solid number three for the 'Jackets, finishing with a 5-2 record at that spot to close the season. During the middle part of the season, Valderrama enjoyed a seven-match win streak, picking up key wins against players from #15 Navy, #17 Franklin & Marshall and #22 Hamilton, also earning wins this year against #18 Western and #17 Middlebury. He also went 2-0 at the Liberty League Championships and overall posted six wins by 3-0 sweeps in 2025-26.
 
Second Team
Karim Moataz (SO, Cairo, Egypt/Stanford International School) – 1st All-LL honor; Moataz finished the campaign with a 7-7 overall record, playing the numbers six, seven and eight positions on the 'Jackets ladder. Moataz ended with four wins against Liberty League opponents this season, three of which were 3-0 sweeps. Additionally, the sophomore was a winner in URochester's matches against #17 Franklin & Marshall and #18 Western.
 




Honorable Mention
Arjith Mathew (FY, Haymarket, VA/Wakefield School) – 1st All-LL honor; Settled into the number five slot on the Yellowjacket ladder in his first season after starting the year at number three. Ended the campaign with a 5-9 record overall, but found his footing later on in the year, winning four straight in early February. That stretch included a 2-0 mark in the Liberty League tournament, helping the team claim the conference crown.