Northampton, MA (Press Release) — The College Squash Association (CSA), the governing body for men’s and women’s intercollegiate squash in the United States, officially launched its new website today. The site will support an association that has guided a fifty-percent growth in college squash in the past decade.
Squash is a racquet sport played in over 180 countries. It requires a combination of technical skill, physical endurance, and strategy, and was named the healthiest sport by Forbes Magazine in 2003. Over the past decade, squash has been considered for inclusion in the Olympics and was a serious candidate for the 2016 games.
“U.S. college squash is dynamic with new teams forming all the time at universities from Maine to Georgia and Pennsylvania to California. Our new squash website will be the central repository of information highlighting our rich history, chronicling today’s excitement, and laying the foundation for our future growth,” explains Men’s College Squash Association president and Princeton University coach Bob Callahan. “Everyone who follows college squash will be able to find all the latest information, results, and rankings, whether they are a high school student interested in applying to college, a squash enthusiast, or a past college player. We look forward to an exciting future for college squash, and our website will be an important part of our growth.”
Since the early 1900s, squash has been played at colleges and universities in the United States. Originally, squash was almost exclusively an Ivy League sport; however, over the past twenty years, it has spread throughout the country to public and private colleges and universities. Today, there are approximately 60 men’s and 40 women’s collegiate squash teams.
Women’s College Squash Association president and Wesleyan University coach Shona Kerr is impressed with the growth of women’s teams in the league. “With new varsity teams, like Stanford and Columbia, and new club programs, women’s college squash could not be healthier. This increase in college playing opportunities for women is very exciting.” She adds, “Our new website will act as an interactive portal to the worldwide squash community, and it will facilitate the continued growth of our sport.”
The college squash season begins in November and concludes with team championships in late February. This season, Yale University will host the men’s championships on February 19th – 21st, and the women’s championships on February 26th – 28th. The Trinity College Bantams are seeking their 12th straight men’s team championship. The team’s active 202-match winning streak is the longest in U.S. college sports history. The Princeton Tigers, the three-time reigning women’s team champions, are seeking their fourth consecutive title.
“The game of college squash is the most dynamic and rapidly growing entity in the world of squash,” explains Trinity coach Paul Assaiante. “Not only in terms of the standard of play, the depth of the teams’ rosters, but also in terms of the growth of emerging teams. When I was coaching at West Point in the 80’s there were around 20 teams on the men’s side. This past year we had 56 teams competing in the men’s national championships!”
About the College Squash Association: The College Squash Association (CSA) is the governing body for men’s and women’s intercollegiate squash in the United States. It ranks players and teams, establishes and enforces rules, hosts annual individual and team championships, and archives college squash history. There are approximately 60 men’s and 40 women’s collegiate squash programs in the United States. The CSA is dedicated to growing college squash.
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For information about the College Squash Association, please contact Michael T. Bello, CSA website editor, at michael@csanew.wpengine.com.
For interviews with the CSA presidents, please contact Bob Callahan (men’s president), bobc@princeton.edu, or Shona Kerr (women’s president), skerr@wesleyan.edu.
