Last weekend, the Choate Boys’ and Girls’ Varsity Squash Teams competed in the U.S High School Team Squash Championships. The boys traveled to Wesleyan University and placed 8th in the Division III Championship. The girls went to Trinity College, where they placed 15th overall in Division I.
The Girls’ team has had an exceptionally good season so far, entering Nationals with a record of 12-2. Strong performances from players Meagan Best ’20 and Nicolina Tessitore ’21 led the team from the first two spots on the ladder. However, two days before the tournament, the team learned that its number four player, Rachel Miller ’23, caught the flu and could not play. This meant players 5-7 on the ladder would move up one spot, and the players at the bottom of the ladder now had to play tougher opponents.
In the first round, Girls’ Varsity Squash lost to the Lawrenceville School 3-4 and faced more hardship when their number one player, Best, got diagnosed with a concussion, sidelining her for the tournament. Everyone on the ladder moved up one additional spot, leading to a tough 5-2 loss against the Pingry School.
They then played the William Penn Charter School in which they lost, 6-1 but won a close contest against the Westover School, 4-3.
“It was disappointing that we lost two players for the tournament, but I’m proud of the way everyone stepped up,” said captain Aurelie Temsamani ’20. “It was especially impressive for Nicolina to play number one in the Westover match, and even though she lost, she played very well.”
The boys’ team, who was 10-13 before Nationals, were looking to advance deep into the tournament. “We expected to do really well at Nationals. Every year we thought we would do really well and win but anything can happen.” said captain Sam Curtis ’20, who has been sidelined the whole season with an ACL injury.
The weekend started off well for Boys’ Varsity Squash, with a 5-2 win against Blair Academy. In the second round, the team faced a tough opponent, Harriton/Lower Merion, and lost 4-3. The team then fell to Noble and Greenough School 5-2 in their 3rd match. “If we had played the two teams on any given Saturday or Wednesday we would have beaten them but after playing a couple of matches it’s hard to stay focused and not be fatigued,” Curtis said.
In the end, after suffering another loss to the Tabor Academy Boys team, the team placed 8th overall. Although both teams expected to perform better, they both had some strong showings throughout the weekend, even when plagued by illnesses or injuries. With matches against Deerfield on WednesdayTK result and the New England Championships this weekend, both teams will look to rebound and finish the season strong.
