As the final month of the college squash season gets underway this weekend, several championships are up for grabs and other crucial matches are on the schedule.
The New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Men’s Squash Championship kicks things off later this evening with three matches between the conference’s 6- through 11-seeds. No. 26 Colby versus No. 27 Conn College and tomorrow morning’s 4-vs.-5 match between No. 21 Bates and No. 22 Amherst are the top early matches in the tournament.
The Liberty League Men’s and Women’s Championships are scheduled to take place this weekend in Canton, NY on St. Lawrence University’s campus. No. 3-ranked Rochester is the favorite in the men’s round robin competition, but the women’s competition is more wide open.
In Charlottesville, VA, University of Virginia hosts the inaugural Mid-Atlantic Squash Championships (MASC). In this year’s competition, Dickinson, Franklin & Marshall, George Washington, MIT, and UVA will compete for the men’s title, and the same group except MIT will vie for the women’s championships. These teams plan to expand both MASC competitions to include more teams as soon as next year.
A full slate of Ivy League matches features several crucial matches, with paths to the championships and rankings positioning on the line. The headliner is a classic match-up of two of the top teams in the country: the top-ranked Princeton women host No. 3 Harvard on Saturday with the winner taking a big step towards an Ivy League title. Similarly, the Crimson’s top-ranked men’s squad takes on No. 3 Penn on Sunday for a match with league championship implications.
This weekend could be season-defining for other Ivy League teams as well. Columbia’s No. 7-ranked women’s team has three challenging matches in a row, taking on No. 8 Drexel, No. 5 Yale, and No. 11 Brown on three straight days. The Lion men, currently ranked 7th, will look to upset No. 6 Yale on Saturday at home as well. Back on the women’s side, No. 11 Brown and No. 12 Cornell will battle for future seeding. The No. 5 Dartmouth men have their own tough road, challenging No. 3 Penn and a feisty No. 8 Princeton team on their southern trip.
Other intriguing match-ups for this weekend include:
- No. 11 Navy at No. 13 Drexel
- Haverford playing host to strong club teams Bucknell and Denison
- Club round robin competitions at Northeastern University and Colgate University
View the full college schedules here:
College Squash Women’s Schedule
College Squash Men’s Schedule
Live Scoring will be available for many matches during the weekend on Club Locker.
Please also follow the CSA on Twitter (@CollegeSquash) and Instagram (@college_squash) for social media updates throughout the weekend.
