Men’s and women’s squash keep win streak alive to secure Pennsylvania state championship titles

There are only a handful of certainties in life: death, taxes, and Penn squash’s dominance over its Pennsylvania rivals.

Men’s and women’s squash continued their undefeated season streaks this weekend with convincing wins over Dickinson and Chatham at the Penn Squash Center. Both teams enjoyed two separate 9-0 sweeps over their opponents, with each improving to a 5-0 record. With these victories, the Red and Blue earned the men’s and women’s Pennsylvania State Championship titles.

Men’s squash began their Sunday by defeating Dickinson early in the morning. All nine athletes swept their respective opponents three games to zero. Among the many standout performances, senior Oliver Green stood out. Green barely gave his opponent a sliver of hope, winning each game 11-2, 11-1, and 11-2. Senior Nathan Kueh also dominated, limiting his opponent to only seven total points across all three games.

The fun continued into the afternoon as the Quakers rotated some of their squad to take on Chatham. Green, as well as senior Shaam Gambhir, freshman Rustin Wiser, and sophomores Ben Mathias and Kyle Penman played against both Dickinson and Chatham. Sophomore Salman Khalil led the way for the Red and Blue, beating his opponent in each of the three games 11-3, 11-1, and 11-3.

The story was quite similar for the women's team. Senior Emma Carter limited Dickinson’s Thea Hegde to only five points across three games. Freshman Hailey Wong also wrapped her match in only three games. After a statement win against Franklin and Marshall earlier in the season, Wong has looked to string together consistent performances. If her fast-paced start to her Penn career gives any indication of what’s to come, coach Jack Wyant will have reason to be optimistic.

The Quakers finished the day with another sweep against Chatham. Sophomores Ashna Tumuluri and Ishani Wadhwa won again after successfully beating their respective Dickinson opponents earlier in the day. Senior Yoshna Singh won her games 11-9, 11-4, and 11-6, respectively. Some other matchups were a lot tighter. Sophomore Madeline Oh came out on top over Chatham’s TaNiya Nored in a five-game thriller. After overcoming this formidable challenge, Oh and her teammates will look to continue their momentum against out-of-state opponents.

Women’s qquash will take on Georgetown this Friday in Washington before traveling to Charlottesville, Va. for a match against Virginia. Men’s squash will also face the Cavaliers on Saturday in what should be a testing matchup for the Quakers.