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CSA Players and Coaches Shine at WSF World Team Championships in Hong Kong

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The CSA takes pride in recognizing and congratulating our students, graduates, and coaches who represented and led their nations at the 2024 World Team Championships. Their participation highlights the talent in the league and the important role of college squash in preparing athletes to compete and contribute at the highest levels of the sport.

The 2024 WSF World Team Squash Championships, held in Hong Kong from December 9-15, brought together the world’s top squash talent for the first combined Men’s and Women’s Championships in the event’s 57-year history. Among the 185+ competitors, 31 players with connections to the College Squash Association (CSA) proudly represented their respective countries on this global stage.

In addition to the standout performances from CSA student-athletes and alumni, several CSA coaches served as leaders for their national teams:

  • Stuart Crawford, former assistant coach at the University of Pennsylvania, served as a coach for England.
  • Thierry Lincou, head coach at MIT, served as a coach for France.
  • Tyler Osborne, head coach at Navy, served as a coach for Canada.

Congratulations to all current students, alumni, and coaches!

Player Name College Country
Melissa Alves University of Pennsylvania France
Lucy Beecroft Yale University England
Timothy Brownell Harvard University USA
Nicole Bunyan Princeton University Canada
Veer Chotrani Cornell University India
Hannah Craig Harvard University Ireland
Victor Crouin Harvard University France
Salaheldin Eltorgman Western Ontario Canada
Tomotaka Endo University of Rochester Japan
Ali Farag Harvard University Egypt
Breanne Flynn George Washington University Ireland
Caroline Fouts Harvard University USA
Dillon Huang University of Pennsylvania USA
Sanjay Jeeva Franklin & Marshall College Malaysia
Matias Knudsen Drexel University Columbia
Oisin Logan George Washington University Ireland
Spencer Lovejoy Yale University USA
Catalina Pelaez Trinity College Columbia
Noa Romero Blazquez Trinity College Spain
Akanksha Salunkhe Trinity College India
Erisa Sano Herring (Brooke) Drexel University Japan
Velavan Senthilkumar Columbia University India
Chan Sin Yuk Columbia University Hong Kong
Amanda Sobhy Harvard University USA
Nicholas Spizzirri University of Pennsylvania USA
Marina Stefanoni Harvard University USA
Marie Stephan University of Pennsylvania France
Sivasangari Subramaniam Cornell University Malaysia
Juan Camilo Vargas Trinity College Columbia
Olivia Weaver Princeton University USA
Gigi Yeung Yale University Macao

CSA Weekly Rankings Update: Week 4 Results

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The Week 4 College Squash Association (CSA) rankings mark the conclusion of the first half of the 2024-2025 season, which included approximately 200 varsity team matches. With this update, rankings will pause until January, when teams return to competition for the second half of the season.

On the Men’s side, several teams made significant statements this past week. The University of Virginia men delivered a headline-grabbing upset with a razor-thin 5-4 victory over Harvard, shaking up the rankings and asserting themselves as a team to watch. Meanwhile, Amherst College leapt up the rankings after a key victory over MIT, in an incredibly tight segment of the rankings. Both Wesleyan and Dickinson added notable wins against Connecticut College, bolstering their cases for higher placements heading into the winter break.

The Women’s rankings remain steady heading into the winter break, with teams reflecting their early-season form. The first half of the season has provided valuable insights into the competitive landscape, as programs prepare for important matchups in the new year. As teams enter the break, they’ll have time to regroup, recover, and strategize for the critical matches awaiting them in January.

As the season pauses for the holidays, the CSA looks ahead to the second half with anticipation. The CSA will resume ranking updates in January when teams return to the court.

These rankings provide an evolving snapshot of team standings as the season unfolds. Check out the latest updates here:

 

Week 4 Recap: December 4 to 11 – Highlights from College Squash

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Photo credit: UVA Sports Media

Week 4 of the CSA season delivered exciting and closely contested matches as teams wrapped up the first half of the season before heading into the exam period and holiday break. This weekend’s results showcased the competitiveness of collegiate squash, with multiple matchups coming down to the wire.

On the men’s side, history was made as the University of Virginia defeated Harvard 5-4 for the first time in program history, a milestone victory that will undoubtedly shape the rankings. Amherst edged out MIT 5-4 in another tight contest, reflecting the razor-thin margins in that section of the rankings.. Wesleyan and Dickinson both secured close victories over Connecticut College.

The women’s side was quieter, with no major upsets to shake up the rankings. Bowdoin’s 6-3 victory over Dickinson stood out as a notable match from the weekend.

With the first half of the season complete, teams now take a break to regroup and prepare for January, when the second half of the season promises even more thrilling action as the road to championship play continues.

Matches of the Week 

Women
No. 11 Dartmouth College defeats No. 15 Amherst College
Read More…

Men
No. 14 Western Ontario defeats No. 15 University of Rochester
Read More…

A full list of results can be found here: Men’s Results & Women’s Results.

Dartmouth Women Surge Past Amherst in Women’s Match of the Week

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Photo credit: Katelyn Hadley/The Dartmouth

The Dartmouth women’s squash team, ranked #11 nationally, showcased their dominance on Friday, December 6, with an impressive 7-2 victory over #15 Amherst at home. The win solidified Dartmouth’s standing and highlighted their depth, while Amherst displayed commendable tenacity in a hard-fought contest.

Dartmouth set the tone early, with Chelsea Cho earning the first point after a four-game victory. Freshman Maya Shroff followed with a thrilling five-game win over Amherst’s Isabelle Tilney-Sandberg, bouncing back from a 12-14 loss in the third game to take the final two games 11-8, 11-8. Shroff’s determination under pressure was outstanding and marked a standout performance for the first-year player.

Amherst struck back with a highlight performance from Kristen Daniel, who clinched a marathon fifth game 19-17 at No. 4 to put the visitors on the board. However, Dartmouth’s Maria Clara Ramirez Velasquez regained momentum for the Big Green with a decisive win at the top position, and Nathalie Taylor added a straight-games victory at No. 9, pushing Dartmouth’s lead to 4-1.

The clincher came from Senior Captain Aubrey Lennon at No. 6, whose composed three-game victory sealed the team match for Dartmouth. Lennon’s performance was pivotal, delivering a dominant start with scores of 11-4 and 11-5 before holding off a determined comeback attempt to close the final game 11-7.

Despite the result being decided, the final matches did not lack intensity. Dartmouth’s Kriti Muthu delivered an impressive straight-games win, while Amherst earned their second point through Brigid Brandon’s four-game victory at No. 5. The evening concluded with an electrifying match at No. 2, where sophomore Eleanor Clifford delivered a performance that epitomized resilience. After saving three match balls in the third game to win 13-11, Clifford controlled the fourth game 11-4. In the decisive fifth game, she saved two more match balls at 12-11 and dug deep to secure a 14-12 victory, showcasing her exceptional retrieving skills and composure.

Reflecting on the match, Dartmouth coach Vikram Malhotra expressed pride in the team’s effort, noting that the recognition as CSA Match of the Week was a significant morale boost. “Senior Captain Aubrey Lennon’s dominant clincher match and sophomore Ellie Clifford’s incredible comeback were pivotal to our victory,” Malhotra shared. “Freshman Maya Shroff also shined under pressure, making her win a highlight of the evening. This victory reflects the team’s commitment and determination, and we’re energized to build on this momentum as the season progresses.”

Dartmouth’s strong showing against a tough opponent underscores their depth and resilience as they continue their campaign. For the Big Green, this victory is not just a milestone but a testament to the hard work fueling their long-term goals.

Character, Career, Community: Admiral James Stavridis

by Rob Dinerman, College Squash Historian

One of the most accomplished U.S. Naval Academy alumni during the past half-century, and the Supreme Allied Commander at NATO from 2009-13, Admiral James Stavridis credits much of his success — during both his 37-year career year in the Navy and subsequently, first as the Dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University from 2013-18, and later in his current position as a partner and the Vice Chair of Global Affairs at the Carlyle Group, a large international finance firm — to the four years (from 1972-76) that he spent as a member of Navy’s top-five ranked squash team.

Although Stavridis, who had played in a number of regional junior tennis tournaments during his high school years in his native Arizona, had never touched a squash racquet prior to entering the Naval Academy, Bobby Bayliss, Navy’s head tennis coach, quickly perceived that Stavridis’s foremost athletic traits — foot-speed, hand-eye coordination and a good slice on both sides — were better suited to squash (although Stavridis also lettered on Navy’s tennis teams) and connected him with the Academy’s legendary squash coach, Art Potter, who would become a major figure in Stavridis’s life. Potter (who is literally a first-ballot College Squash Association Hall of Famer, having been inducted into the Hall’s inaugural class in 1990) was gruff and no-nonsense, but he also cared deeply about his players and was determined to coach them in a way that prepared them not only for the squash dual meets on Navy’s schedule but also for the larger life challenges that awaited them.

As one significant example, every day’s practice began with a challenge match — in marked contrast to most squash programs, in which challenge matches are contested no more than once or at most twice per week — and this somewhat harsh policy conveyed to his charges the important lesson that every day they would spend at sea in the years to come, whether during peaceful times or especially in combat, would constitute a “for real” challenge match, and that there was no such thing as a “practice match” in real life. The three-part mantra — pride, hustle, desire — that Coach Potter drilled into his players made such an impact on Stavridis that he literally wrote those words on his locker, and before every home match he would touch the gray metal door of the locker and repeat them aloud prior to taking the court.

Stavridis strongly feels that the larger philosophy embodied in that trilogy — namely that what counts most of all is what is in your heart — continues to this day (nearly a half-century after playing his final college match) to be a major part of his approach to life. It has often surfaced not only during his Naval career —- in his talks to his crews as a Navy ship captain, as a strike group commander at USS Enterprise, as the commander of the United States Southern Command (from 2006-09) and even during his four succeeding years as the Supreme Allied Commander at NATO — but even currently at Carlyle, where he runs a course on leadership and mentoring for the firm’s newly selected partners. In addition to the success he has enjoyed during his military, academic and business careers, Stavridis is also an accomplished author whose novel The Restless Wave is a gripping story of the sea in which, according to one review, “Stavridis’s sweeping knowledge of history and life in the Navy shines through on every page, imbuing this work with authenticity and power.”

“This is a squash racquet owned by Secretary of Defense Don Rumsfeld, an avid squash player (hardball) from Princeton,” said Admiral James Stavridis. “I was his senior military assistant for two years (2004-2006), and we played squash almost every day. When he died, his family sent me the racquet as a keepsake. I treasure it.”

Stavridis still plays racquet sports (whether squash, tennis or pickleball) several times per week and hearkens back with great appreciation to his college squash career, about which he recently stated, “As a small, slight guy (only 5’ 5”), I’ve always felt like the underdog to bigger and smarter competitors, but I like to think that my attitude of hustle, pride and desire has carried the day for me both on courts and in life. I learned those values from playing squash at Annapolis 50 years ago.”

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Rob Dinerman has written 18 books about squash, five of which are Histories of the sport at various top-tier colleges. All of those books are arrayed on the home page of the robdinerman.com site, including his most recent college-squash book A Century Of Champions: 100 Years Of College Squash, 1923-2013, which was released in March 2024.

Western Ontario Triumphs Over Rochester in Thrilling CSA Men’s Match of the Week

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In a battle of closely-ranked teams, the #14-ranked Western Ontario Mustangs delivered a commanding 6-3 victory over the #15-ranked Rochester Yellowjackets on Friday evening at the Yellowjackets’ home facility. The match, filled with drama and grit, proved why these two programs remain perennial threats in college squash.

From the outset, the tone was set by the grueling first wave of matches. Western’s Antonio Mendes struck first, delivering a crucial opening win to put the Mustangs on the board. Moments later, teammates Daniel Deverill and Rio Schafer followed suit with victories of their own, propelling Western to an imposing 3-0 lead. Each of these matches extended beyond 45 minutes, exemplifying the physical and mental demands of the contest.

Western extended their lead further with a win from Griffin Manley at #9, securing the Mustangs’ fourth point and placing Rochester on the brink. Facing elimination, Rochester dug deep to keep their hopes alive. Arnav Mandhana stepped up at #6, battling through a tight four-game match to earn Rochester’s first point of the evening. His tenacity was on full display as he edged out back-to-back 14-12 victories in the final two games, electrifying the home crowd.

Rochester’s Yash Fadte then delivered the match of the night in an epic five-setter against Western’s Dylan Deverill. Fadte prevailed 11-7 in the decisive game, showcasing incredible focus and determination in a pressure-packed situation. His performance brought Rochester within striking distance at 4-2 and embodied the resilience that defines this rivalry.

However, Western’s depth proved too much to overcome. Tyson Schille sealed the win for the Mustangs with a decisive victory at #8, pushing the overall score to 5-2. Though the match had been decided, the excitement continued as Josh Kay narrowly edged Jacob Koeppen in a five-game thriller at #5, and Omar Zakaria capped off the night with a commanding straight-sets win at #2. The final score of 6-3 reflected Western’s balanced strength and consistency throughout the lineup.

Post-match, Western head coach Chris Hanebury praised his team’s effort, stating, “It was a great match last night. It’s always tight with Rochester, and it’s the first time we’ve beaten them on their home courts since I’ve been coaching at Western. Our first three players set the tone, and the entire team stepped up in critical moments.”

Further, Hanebury reflected on the match, stating, “I know the team and our alumni appreciated being selected as the match of the week and even more so because of our performance. Rochester is always a fair and competitive team, and I’m sure we will have plenty more battles in the years to come.”

While Western Ontario celebrated a hard-earned victory, Rochester demonstrated their trademark toughness and sportsmanship, ensuring this rivalry will remain a highlight of the college squash calendar for years to come. Both teams now set their sights on the second half of the season, with plenty still at stake in their respective division campaigns.

Week 4 Preview: December 4 to December 11

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The college squash season is up and running, and Week 4, running from December 4 to 11, offers an exciting slate of matches as teams push forward in their campaigns. This week also marks the final stretch of competition in the first half of the season, with schools preparing to transition into exam periods and winter break.

You can view the upcoming matches for Week 4 (December 4 to December 11) below:

 

Match of the Week

Women

No. 11 Dartmouth College vs. No. 15 Amherst College

This week’s Women’s Match of the Week features #11 Dartmouth taking on #15 Amherst on Friday, December 6, at 3:30 p.m. The match will take place on Dartmouth’s home courts in Hanover, New Hampshire, as these two strong programs meet for this clash.

Amherst comes into the match undefeated and eager to build on their early-season momentum. Dartmouth will look to defend their home courts and secure another victory after topping Amherst in last year’s meeting. With both teams aiming to make a statement in this key matchup, fans can expect a closely fought and exciting battle.

Men

No. 14 Western Ontario vs. No. 15 University of Rochester

This week’s Men’s Match of the Week features #14 Western Ontario taking on #15 University of Rochester on Friday, December 6, at 6:00 p.m. The match will be held on Rochester’s home courts in what promises to be a thrilling battle between two closely ranked teams.

Although Western holds the higher ranking, Rochester claimed victory in last season’s meeting. These programs meet annually and have developed a reputation for producing tightly contested and exciting matches. With both teams vying for a critical boost in the rankings, fans can expect another intense and competitive showdown.

The order of play for Week 3 (December 4–11) is as follows:

3-Court System
3,1,2 / 4,6,5 / 7,9,8

5-Court System
2,1 / 3,4 / 5,6 / 7,787 / 10,9

You can view all past results from the 2024-25 CSA season here:

Week 3 Recap: November 21 to 27 – Highlights from College Squash

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Photo credit: Chris McClintick/US Squash

Week 3 of the CSA season brought another thrilling slate of competition, with 42 matches showcasing the depth and talent across collegiate squash. As teams prepare to break for Thanksgiving, they left it all on the courts in a final push to solidify their standings before the holiday pause.

Among the standout performances, the Columbia men’s and women’s teams held firm against Tufts, fending off the Jumbos’ determined advances in a series of hard-fought matches. Meanwhile, Navy embarked on a challenging northern swing through Maine, facing Bates, Colby, and Bowdoin. The highlight of this trip was the CSA Match of the Week, where Colby narrowly edged Navy in a nail-biting 5-4 victory that kept spectators on the edge of their seats.

Stanford added intrigue to the week by traveling to the East Coast to launch their season against Cornell, Williams, and Columbia. In other action, Haverford’s men’s and women’s squads made a statement, taking down Connecticut College in decisive fashion and climbing the rankings as a result. Tufts and Rochester battled it out in a neutral-site showdown in New York City, with Tufts prevailing 6-3 in a tightly contested match. Meanwhile, Princeton hosted Drexel at their incredible new facility, providing a showcase for top-tier squash and competitive spirit.

With Thanksgiving on the horizon, the upcoming week will be a quiet one for CSA play, offering players a well-deserved break. However, fans can look forward to a packed schedule following the holiday, as teams return to the courts ready to build on the excitement of the season’s opening weeks.

Matches of the Week 

Women
No. 28 Haverford College defeats No. 26 Connecticut College
Read More…

Men
No. 18 Colby defeats No. 16 Navy
Read More…

A full list of results can be found here: Men’s Results & Women’s Results.

CSA Weekly Rankings Update: Week 3 Results

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The Week 3 College Squash Association (CSA) rankings incorporate the results of 42 additional varsity team matches. On the Women’s side, the only ranking adjustment was Haverford College moving up to the #26 position following a pivotal win over Connecticut College. This victory highlights Haverford’s strong start to the season.

Similarly, on the Men’s side, Haverford was the standout team, advancing to #26 after back-to-back upsets over higher-ranked opponents, including a win against Connecticut College. Over the past two weeks, Haverford has jumped four spots, from #30 to #26, solidifying its position as a team to watch this season.

One of the tightest ranking battles is occurring in the Men’s 16-18 positions, with Navy, MIT, and Colby locked in a competitive triangle. Each team has notched a tight 5-4 victory against one of the others: Colby defeated Navy but fell to MIT, Navy topped MIT but lost to Colby, and MIT beat Colby but was edged out by Navy. The current ranking positions for these three teams rely on the CSA’s tiebreaker methodology to determine the order, underscoring just how evenly matched these programs are.

CSA team rankings provide an evolving snapshot of team standings as the season unfolds. Check out the latest updates here: