Gabe McGuire '24
Jan 27, 2023
Mercersburg Academy’s boys varsity squash team has enjoyed an excellent season so far, including two key championship victories: the 2023 Mid-Atlantic Squash Open and the Flanagan Tournament. In their current state, the team is predicted to place among the top 16 in the nation.
Both coaches and players share the optimism. “This year our team is the strongest it has ever been in school history. This is outstanding of course, but we also have to be intentional about our schedule and the levels of teams that we compete with. Our list of invited teams for this year's Flanagan Invitational included some teams that are normally quite strong, like Hill School, Potomac, and St. Christopher's of Richmond, but this year our ladder has depth like never before. Nearly every player from our fifth position down is a senior, which also gives us an advantage on experience,” said coach Ryan Tyree
About the MASO tournament, team captain Francis Betkowski ’23 said. “We knew going into it that the hardest team was going to be Saint Christopher's. We lost last year, but with the addition of Santiago [Medina Carrillo ’24] and Adrian [Guijarro ’25], we were bound to whip everyone. It was nice to see everyone play their best and work on a couple of shots.”
Aside from strong experience on the court and phenomenal players, the team achieves such competitive ratings thanks to the expert leadership of the coaches. “Our team has tremendous talent and experience, but that doesn't automatically translate to having an effective team dynamic. The coaches are working to keep our players mindful of the importance of building trust and strengthening bonds that will carry us through when facing the highest competition,” said Danny Adusei-Poku ’23.
The coaches do everything they can to facilitate the success of their players. It is common to find Tyree in the squash courts before and after the school day and on weekends, using every available hour to mentor his players. His devotion has certainly paid off.
The team waits in anticipation for its next tough match against Episcopal Academy. “They will be one of our most difficult matches to date and they should be a great test of our strength,” said Adusei-Poku.
The team will also face Mid-Atlantic Prep League rivals Blair Academy and the Hill School this weekend at home.
Then, the team eagerly anticipates proving its mettle at the MAPL championship in early February and then the high school national championship tournament at the Arlen Specter Center in Philadelphia before spring break.