For the first time in the 2019-2020 season, the College Squash Association (CSA) has applied its ELO-based ranking algorithm to guide the formation of the team rankings. That, coupled with several exciting results from the past couple weeks, resulted in considerable movement among teams in the rankings released today.
The battle for a berth into the national championship draw as a top-8 team is going to be a highlight of the road to the championships for both the women and the men. Dartmouth’s double-upset of Drexel this past weekend added an extra layer of intrigue, with both Big Green teams making the jump to No. 7 in the polls.
In another important contest for Howe Cup seeding this last weekend, the Yale women secured their position at No. 4 with a win against the new No. 6, Stanford. Neither Dartmouth or Yale can rest on their laurels, however, as monumental road match-ups lie on the horizon this weekend. With Dartmouth at Cornell and Columbia and Yale at Princeton and Penn, this weekend’s results could help clarify the rankings picture for the rest of the season.
With the rankings algorithm in use, the CSA will not break ranking ties until all of the matches of the season have been played prior to the championships. This is relevant for a few cases in this first set of rankings. On the men’s side, Drexel and Rochester are currently tied in the fifth position despite Drexel’s win over Rochester during the first semester. Cornell’s run of success has moved them into a tie with George Washington at No. 12, and Middlebury and Amherst have evened out at No. 20, for now. The women have a tie of their own with three teams currently locked at No. 15 – Middlebury, Amherst, and Bates.
Many other teams exhibited slight shifts up or down the rankings now that the second half of the season has kicked into high gear. With several more regular season matches still to play and the conference championship events to follow, these rankings have a long way to go before being finalized.
The roller coaster ride could begin as early as this evening with Penn welcoming Princeton (men: No. 3 vs. No. 4; women: No. 5 vs. No. 2) and Colby hosting Bowdoin (men: No. 23 vs. No. 22; women: No. 26 vs. No. 21).
To view the full set of rankings, please visit the College Squash Team Rankings page.
