Checking in with the nationally ranked Penn men's and women's squash teams

As with any sport, winning back-to-back championships is incredibly difficult. For one, championship-winning rosters rarely look the same from year to year. But more importantly, a team that once was the hunter now becomes the hunted, which can come with some trouble. On the other hand, with that target on one’s back, it can bring out the best in a team — one team couldn’t relate more.

After a blistering start to the season, Penn men’s squash sits atop the national rankings amidst an unblemished record. The Quakers currently have a perfect 13-0 record, including impressive wins over national runner-up Trinity and Ivy League rival No. 3 Yale.

Further, it’s impossible to discuss the men’s team without mentioning how dominant the women’s team has been as well. Ranked No. 4, Penn women’s squash is also off to a noteworthy 10-1 record, highlighted by a 3-0 mark in conference play.

Coming off the heels of their first national championship in program history, men’s squash looked to continue that momentum heading into the start of this season — to say they have been dominant would be an understatement. The Red and Blue have steamrolled their opponents, winning nine out of their 13 games by a score of 9-0. To put this into context, nine players from each team competed against each other, meaning that the Quakers had not dropped a match in any of those competitions.

A highlight of the season came this past week when Penn men's squash faced four consecutive top-10 teams. A win versus each of the squads would be a telling mid-season benchmark for the Quakers. Indeed, the Red and Blue emerged victorious over Yale, Cornell, and Columbia, cementing a win against their non-conference foe Trinity as well. These teams will certainly be in the mix for the CSA Team National Championships later in March.

“It was a great start to the second semester for the men. We have been eyeing this weekend for a long time playing the number two and three teams in the country,” said coach Gilly Lane. “Both Trinity and Yale have the opportunity to win the national championship this year and it was great to be able to test where we are as a program.”

Individually, senior Nathan Kueh made history in his match against No. 8 Columbia, recording his 60th career win and making him the all-time wins leader in Penn men’s squash history.

“I am extremely proud of how the boys responded over the weekend and how they played. It is just a start for us, and we are looking forward to the rest of our matches this spring,” Lane said.

On the women’s side, the Quakers also remain undefeated in Ivy League play. Despite a loss to No. 3 Trinity, the Red and Blue could not be stopped in the Ancient Eight with contributions from all positions. The Quakers made it look easy beating No. 7 Yale, No. 9 Columbia, and No. 8 Cornell by a final score of 8-1, 9-0, and 9-0. With all of the games being played at the state-of-the-art Penn Squash Center, it is clear that the Quakers are playing into their home-field advantage.

As both of Penn’s powerhouse squash teams know too well, as great as the regular season wins are, the wins in the championship taste even better. 

Interestingly, there have only been three different schools in the past seven years that have won the team championship on the men’s side and only two different schools in the same breadth on the women’s side. In fact, Harvard and Trinity men's squash are the only two schools besides Penn to take home their respective championships.

Although it seems that repeat championships happen more in college squash than in other sports, Penn knows that the mission is anything but easy. Being arguably one of the most successful sports in all of Penn athletics, no further motivation is needed for both squash teams to remain at the top.