MAPL Squash Champs

Last weekend, the Blue Storm boys and girls varsity squash teams competed in the Mid-Atlantic Prep League squash championships at home in the Davenport Squash Center, closing out conference play in front of a supportive crowd. The boys’ team entered the weekend ranked sixth in the country and delivered on expectations, while the girls’ team battled through a competitive draw and used the matches as preparation for the US High School Team Championships, more commonly referred to as Nationals.

The boys secured their second MAPL title after defeating Hill 7–0 and Lawrenceville 5–2, finishing a dominant season in strong fashion. Head coach Dominic Benacquista said, “I’m incredibly proud of the boys and the program as a whole. Throughout the year, we demonstrated our depth with contributions from everyone, whether it was players at the top of the lineup or down to number sixteen on the roster. Each of them stepped up and delivered when it counted.”

Benacquista continued, “With a young, hungry team, the future looks very bright,” adding his appreciation for the home crowd’s support.

Captain Sid Shah ’26 said, “I thought I performed well. I won all my matches.” For him, the highlight was simple: “Winning the trophy and taking a picture with it.” Shah was also part of the previous MAPL championship team his freshman year.

Teammate Alexis Aquino ’28 added, “My individual performance was really good. In my first match, I felt comfortable and got used to the court. The second match was harder, but I stayed confident. We all trained really hard for this, so I’m really proud of the team for winning the championship.” 

Aquino credited fitness and movement drills as key factors, saying, “Ghosting and fitness are the key to helping you play better squash.”

On the girls’ side, head coach Mike Sweeney said the team approached MAPLs with both realism and ambition. “We were being realistic about our chances against Lawrenceville—they were just very strong,” Sweeney said. “We expected to see Hill in the second round, and that was a match we thought we could get. We unfortunately lost 4–3. It was very close, and there were opportunities to win there.”

Jennica Nguyen ’27 added, “Competing at home felt motivating because of the familiarity of the courts and the support from the community. Facing strong, experienced opponents pushed me to work hard for every point.”

Sweeney added, “We’re really pointing at Nationals right now. We’re getting back to basics, recognizing situations, and trying to make small improvements. If everybody can take a step forward, we can make some noise.”