The second weekend of the 2025 college squash season may have been a “lighter” one on the schedule. Key matchups lived up to their hype with nail biting finishes, while some teams put on dominant displays, setting a high bar as the season begins to ramp up.
Unfortunately the matches at Franklin & Marshall College were canceled, leaving a key early season benchmark for those programs unanswered. The anticipated contest would have tested Denison’s recent rise.
Men’s Recap:
The weekend’s most anticipated action centered around the three-way clash in Rochester between No. 13 MIT, No. 18 Western, and the host, No. 19 University of Rochester. The featured match between rivals Western and Rochester delivered exactly the drama that was predicted. In a hard-fought battle that went down to the wire, Western University edged out Rochester 5-4.
However, the celebration for Western was short-lived. The next day, No. 13 MIT won against Western with a convincing 8-1 victory. The Engineers weren’t finished, as they went on to defeat the hosts Rochester by the same 8-1 scoreline.
A notable upset took place at Steel City Squash, where No. 24 Chatham University secured a decisive 7-2 victory over No. 23 St. Lawrence University. The win is an early season statement for the Chatham program.
Women’s Recap:
With the highlighted matchup off the schedule, due to the facility being closed, the weekend’s attention shifted to the Vassar Round Robin. In what became a compelling contest of the weekend, No. 30 Bard College pulled off a thrilling 5-4 victory over the host, No. 31 Vassar College. The razor thin margin highlights the parity between the teams and provides Bard with an early season win.
In other action, the higher ranked teams took care of business. No. 14 Georgetown proved too strong for No. 21 Denison, winning 8-1 in a match hosted at the Naval Academy. Similarly, at Steel City Squash, No. 22 St. Lawrence University earned a 9-0 sweep over No. 29 Chatham University, asserting their position.
With the final “light” weekend in the books, the season is now poised to kick into high gear. The results from these early contests have already started to shape the competitive landscape ahead of the Ivy League and NESCAC teams officially beginning their seasons this week.
