Granville, OH — The Denison University squash club has named Stephen Neal as its head coach.
Since 2002, Peter Burling has coached the Big Red. The squash club was not Burling’s fulltime position. Since 1991, he has been the head tennis coach for Denison, where he has led extremely successful men’s and women’s teams. According to Burling, “I have enjoyed much about college squash. But mostly the friendships I have formed.”
Neal brings a wealth of squash experience to Ohio. He has over twenty years of experience as a player and a coach. “I am so happy to hand the squash reins over to Stephen Neal,” says Burling. “He will certainly take Denison forward and upward. Stephen has a bastion of experience in squash, whereas I am a tennis coach who watched over the program for 9 years.”
Neal’s coaching resume includes stops at many successful prep school squash programs (Milton Academy, the Westover School, and The Hill School). He also has college coaching experience, including work at Dartmouth and Wesleyan. From 1999 – 2001, Neal coached the Wesleyan men to 13-9 record.
Denison is part of a growing squash presence in the Midwest. The school has four international courts and it has been one of the most successful club programs since its inception in 1995. Last season, Denison concluded the season ranked 28th in the nation.
Over the next few seasons, the College Squash Association hopes that successful club programs, like Denison, will begin the transition to varsity programs.
