The College Squash Association (CSA) has released the second Dunlop College Squash Rankings of 2019, the first that is predominantly based on the CSA’s team ranking algorithm. The algorithm only considers teams’ wins, losses, and strengths of schedule from the entirety of the current season that has been played so far.
Certain portions of the rankings show teams that are very closely bunched together, including a few virtual ties. There are many matches still to be played in the regular season which will impact the rankings, and therefore, ties will only be broken if they appear in the final rankings of the year.
While the Princeton women maintain their No. 1 position, the first close group is situated just behind them. Stanford barely inches ahead of Yale and Penn into the fourth spot, with Yale and Penn currently tied in fifth behind them.
Positions 9 through 19 in both the women’s and the men’s rankings have proven to be the most active and interesting so far this season. The Virginia women barely take the 9th spot off the hands of Dartmouth, while Middlebury and Williams edge George Washington ever so slightly. Just behind them, we have a virtual tie at No. 16 between Amherst and Tufts.
Not to be outdone, the push for a position in the Top 24 will be an interesting one to watch as the season comes to a close. Mount Holyoke, who has been on a tear lately, jumps up to No. 22 with St. Lawrence close behind at No. 23. Colby, William Smith, and Haverford will all make a push for the 24th spot, currently occupied by Wesleyan.
Mirroring the women’s rankings, the men’s set has tight groupings up and down the list. After two straight weekends of very close matches, Trinity takes the second spot behind Harvard by a slight margin over Penn and Rochester, who are tied for third.
Many eyes will be on the men’s B Division positioning as the CSA Team Championships approach in three short weeks. All teams in that area of the rankings are very close together, with Virginia’s win over Princeton and Navy’s wins over Western Ontario and Virginia helping to give them a slight edge. It is best to keep in mind that matches like Virginia-George Washington, Virginia-Franklin & Marshall, Drexel-Navy, Navy-Franklin & Marshall, George Washington-Drexel, George Washington-Franklin & Marshall, Cornell-Princeton, and the NESCAC and Liberty League Championships will go a long way towards deciding the final rankings.
Connecticut College and Wesleyan solidified their positions in the top 30 – at No. 27 and No. 29 respectively – thanks to recent victories. Just behind them, the top club teams make an appearance in the rankings with Stanford, Bucknell, and Cal-Berkeley in positions 31 through 33.
To view the full list of rankings, please visit the Dunlop College Squash Rankings page. The full schedule of matches can be accessed here: Women and Men.
Please also follow the CSA on Twitter (@CollegeSquash) and Instagram (@college_squash) for social media updates about matches and scores.
