Squash team wraps up season with nationals in Philly

CARLOS HEREDIA Marketing Director

The Masters Boys Varsity Squash team wrapped up its winter season this February having enlisted in nationals for the first time in three years, competing in Division 5. They won two games and lost two games at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center in Philadelphia. Their last game was on February 26, and their final practice was on March 2.

Reflecting on the season, co-captain and senior Mir Ahmed said, “I’d say every match we had, even though there are a few that we lost by blowouts, we were all competitive in them. As the season went on, the bot - portive, cheering as loud as they could. Both of the teams, our team and our opponent, were trying to one-up each other at sound and cheering. So it definitely made me feel good, shouting ‘You can do this!’, ‘Let’s go!’, ‘Come on!’, ‘One more point!’ And ultimately, I didn’t win, but it was really nice to have my teammates there.” Despite the loss at the end, co-captain and senior Ian Stein was also happy about the team’s performance this season. “We had a bunch of matches where we were the underdogs. And we were able to push through that as players with maybe less experience or technique, and all in all just come out with a lot of spirit. I think that’s something that’s notable about this team. The spirit we have talked about, the lead-up to Nationals, and as well

“I have to say that the group of guys we were with made it very easy to be a captain, because everyone was here to support each other and grow as human beings. It takes a lot of mental clarity to stay focused in a game like squash because it’s so intense physically. Especially when therare a lot of guys and spectators watching you.”

- Ian Stein ‘23

tom half of the team definitely closed the gap in skill, and we improved overall as a team a lot.”

Coach John Boyer expressed a similar outlook and noted the challenges facing the team, “The most exciting moment was actually a low light. I mean, our third match came down to three all and in matches, and two, all in the deciding match and 10 all and points in that game. And we ended up losing that game, but people were so excited. It was really, really cool to see how very supportive they were of each other.”

Boyer noted that the wide variation in squash can make it challenging to come across teams on similar skill levels.

“It’s a struggle to find teams that are at the right level to have a nice close match which are the most rewarding. And so that was one of the really nice things about nationals because teams come from all over the country and you’re going to end up playing teams that are at your level.”

Gus Creech, a freshman who played in one of the matches, said that, “They were really sup - as how that kind of turned out.”

“Seeing everyone around campus, knowing that we’re headed to nationals in Philadelphia, this past Thursday night was a real bonding experience because we knew what we were going into. So we had to put the hard work in beforehand.”

Having played squash since the 8th grade at Masters, Stein added that, “It’s honestly a bummer that it has to come to an end, because this has been one of my most valuable experiences here at Masters, the community that we’ve built on the squash team. And the friendships that I’ve made as a co-captain with Mir, who I couldn’t have done it without as well, have been tremendous. I have to say that the group of guys we were with made it very easy to be a captain, because everyone was here to support each other and grow as human beings. It takes a lot of mental clarity to stay focused in a– game like squash because it’s so intense physically. Especially when there are a lot of guys and spectators watching you.”