The College Squash Association (CSA) has released the preseason rankings for the 2017-2018 season. The preseason rankings mark the first installment of what will be bi-weekly rankings posted throughout the season, switching to weekly in January 2018.
Preseason rankings include all varsity programs—31 women’s and 34 men’s teams—and are determined by a poll of all varsity coaches. Subsequent rankings will be based on team match results and set by the CSA rankings committee, until the January 23, 2018 rankings release which will be based off the college squash algorithm. The computer rankings will then continue until team championships occur the weekends of February 16-18 and 23-25, in which the final finishing positions determine the end-of-season rankings.
On the women’s side, both Columbia and Drexel move up a position from the end of last season, slotting in at preseason No. 7 and No. 9, respectively. Among several recruits, Columbia adds freshman Habiba Mohamed of Egypt; Mohamed was the 2014 world junior champion and 2015 finalist. Drexel will feature Team USA standout Mariam Kamal, along with four additional recruits predicted to play in the top nine. View the full women’s preseason rankings here. 2017-18 Women’s Preseason Rankings
In the top ten of the men’s rankings, Penn moves from last season’s No. 7 finish up to No. 5 in the preseason rankings, headlined by the acquisition of two-time U.S. junior champion Andrew Douglas. Princeton also climbs two positions in the rankings to No. 8 as they add Egyptian freshman Youssef Ibrahim, who entered the 2017 World Junior Championships as the top seed. In the middle of the rankings, a newly minted varsity program—the University of Virginia—rises a position to No. 17. View the full men’s preseason rankings here. 2017-18 Men’s Preseason Rankings
