Penn squash uses winter break to get ahead

While winter break may have just been a break from classes for most Penn students, the men and women’s squash teams used it to get a leg up on their opponents.

Per NCAA rules, the program is permitted one international trip every four years. As a result, Penn Athletics sent the men’s team to London for eight days to train and scrimmage against various club teams across the city.

Meanwhile, the women’s team traveled out west to California to train in San Francisco. The Quakers played at both Bay Club and the Olympic Club in anticipation for matches against Stanford and George Washington.

Both teams agree that their respective trips were invaluable for both off-court and on-court dynamic.

“The trip brought everyone together,” junior Yan Xin Tan said.

The women’s team was able to secure wins against both of their west coast opponents, defeating Stanford and George Washington in 9-0 fashion.

“That was great preparation for Harvard and Trinity, which were huge matches,” Tan said. “We had no school, people were training together and I definitely think that built confidence.”

Entering the season, the women’s squad was ranked third in the nation, behind No. 1 Harvard and No. 2 Trinity. However, riding their momentum from the west coast trip and 9-0 victory against Ivy rival Dartmouth, the Quakers also managed to come away with a 5-4, upset over the Crimson on Jan. 10.

“People were studying the game more so than other matches,” Tan said. “It gave everyone a lot of confidence on the court, and I think that was one of the biggest strengths that we had over them.”

But the Red and Blue had little time to celebrate. Just three days later, Penn faced a tough Trinity team and found themselves on the wrong end of a close match, losing 5-4.

“It was a very close match, and it showed us that we still had room for improvement,” Tan said. “It let us know that we still have a lot of training to do before nationals.

“It made everyone aware that we’re good enough to win nationals but that we still have to work a lot harder to win.”

Despite the fact that the men’s team crossed international boundaries, the squad had an equally successful winter break.

“We were able to experience some of the culture that London has to offer, meet a lot of great people and were exposed to some really terrific squash,” coach Jack Wyant said.

For Penn, the key was that the team had the chance to have competitive matches against clubs, which is more difficult in the United States because the sport is much more popular in London.

“Having the chance to get five matches over the holiday break when ... most of our competition didn’t have that opportunity will prove to be invaluable as we head into the busiest stretch of the season,” Wyant said.

Upon their return to the States, the Red and Blue were thrown into the toughest stretch of the season with matches against Dartmouth, Harvard and Trinity.

Whereas Penn only managed to defeat Dartmouth 5-4 last season, this season’s win against the Big Green was much more decisive, winning 7-2.

But Penn dropped their next two matches, first to Harvard and then to Trinity, with each contest ending 7-2. However, Wyant had positive takeaways from the break.

Still, according to the coach, major success for the men’s team in the coming months will depend on the little things, such as getting rest and eating well.

“They’ve put in the work, so I think they’re capable of springing a big upset,” Wyant said.

And, undoubtedly, both teams will surely be using their experience this past winter break to their advantage as they look to dominate the national tournament at season’s end.

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