Courtesy of Georgetown University Department of Athletics
WASHINGTON – Georgetown University Director of Athletics Lee Reed announced Wednesday that the University has added women’s squash as its newest varsity program.
Intercollegiate squash is governed by the Collegiate Squash Association (CSA) and will bring Georgetown University’s number of non-NCAA varsity sports total to four. The addition of women’s squash continues Georgetown’s long history of expanding participation opportunities for female student -athletes and invites a broad experience for the student body.
Squash has been at Georgetown since 2007. The current women’s squash program is the third ranked club team in the country, and ranked No.31 by the CSA making it the top-ranked non-varsity program. This team will practice and hold all home matches at the exciting new squash venue, Squash on Fire, just two miles from campus. The new venue features eight courts, including two state-of-the-art all-glass exhibition courts.
Georgetown’s outstanding academic reputation coupled with its national excellence in intercollegiate athletics will enable the new program to attract top student-athletes and coaches. A national search for a head coach will begin in the coming weeks and will be assisted by Wendy Lawrence, former president of the Women’s College Squash Association.
The CSA season runs from November through late February, culminating with the team championships. The CSA individual championships are held in early March. Georgetown will play the maximum of 15 competition dates. Multiple matches can take place on the same date. This past season, there were 31 women’s varsity programs in the CSA as well as 19 club programs including Georgetown.
“As educators and administrators, we strive to broaden the opportunities on campus and the addition of women’s squash aligns with that mission,” said Reed. “Intercollegiate athletics play such an important role within the framework of a university and I’m excited that more students will have an opportunity to compete as varsity athletes, as well as the chance to engage with a new segment of the Georgetown community. As we move ahead, the Department of Athletics will be developing a long-term fundraising plan for this exciting new program.”
“We feel honored to have led a team of amazing women during our senior year at Georgetown. We could not be more proud of our teammates’ hard work and accomplishments. To witness the program take this step is unbelievably rewarding, and we are thrilled to watch the team grow even more as part of the Georgetown Athletics family,” said current club co-captains Kaleigh O’Connor (C’20) and Kaitlin Huges (C’20).
For anyone interested in more information on the women’s squash program, please contact Kelli Myers, Chief of Staff, Associate Athletics Director for Sport Administration at Kelli.myers@georgetown.edu.
Quote from CSA Executive Director & League Commissioner David Poolman:
“We are thrilled to partner with Georgetown Athletics on this exciting transition! This is a fantastic development for the college squash community, a move that aligns perfectly with one of the core parts of our mission: to increase and enhance opportunities to play college squash. The Georgetown women’s team is a welcome addition to the ranks of our varsity teams. Congratulations, Hoyas, and Welcome!”
