Over the second weekend of February, winter New England Preparatory Schools Athletic Council competitions were held for Girls and Boys Varsity Squash. The top eight players in the two teams left early on Saturday morning to compete in their respective divisions and tournaments. The girls finished five out of six in Division E and the boys finished five out of eight in Division D.
Competing at Pomfret School in Connecticut, Girls Varsity Squash members each played three matches against other Divison E players in their respective rankings. For example, the number one player in the team would play against other number one players in the division. After three rounds of matches, their placement among players of the same ranking would be determined. The tournament was held for only one day due to the limited number of schools in Division E.
Boys Varsity Squash, on the other hand, attended a two-day tournament held at Portsmouth Abbey School in Rhode Island. Unlike the girls’ team, the boys competed as a team and played against three schools in total. While defeated by Millbrook and Middlesex, they won the host school—Portsmouth Abbey.
There were many first-year players competing on the teams this year. When looking back at the tournament, Maya Lin ’25, a freshman competing as number seven on the girls’ team, said, “Competing in such an official tournament was a completely new experience to me since I have never actually participated in such a stressful environment before.” As a starter in squash, Maya commented, “One thing that I want to say about NEPSACs and about this sport is that it’s like a perfect combination [of] individual strength and team collaboration and sportsmanship. When you are on the court and holding a racket, you are competing for yourself, and you are actively using your individual strength to try to get to every ball. But when you get off the court, you have a whole team there to support you.”
On that note, with both great individual work and teamwork, Girls and Boys Varsity Squash drew a delightful conclusion to the 2021-22 season. We look forward to their comeback with new players next year!