Ben Pham ‘27
Dec 13, 2024
Last week, the boys and girls varsity squash teams were busy. The boys played Haverford School, ranked third nationally, on Wednesday, losing 1-6, and convincingly beat Wakefield School 7-0 the following day. The girls team faced 14th-ranked Baldwin School, losing 2-5.
Head coach Dominic Benacquista cited the skill disparity locally as a challenge the team faces, “I think the team is in a difficult situation where we’re way too strong for anyone nearby. This means lower players who are making progress have to make a huge jump in skill as they don’t get much exposure to higher level play, so it takes a little longer for improvement.”
Heading into the annual Flanagan Tournament, the squash teams were training diligently. Ana Botello Gaytan ’25 said, “We’ve been going to the weight room, so it's an hour training on the court and an hour in the gym.” Gilberto Aceves Moreno ’25 added, “We also trained mentally a little bit to not get nervous for the matches.”
In addition to strength training and mental toughening, the team stuck to the basics inside the court. Sarah Howley ’26 stated, “In practice, we keep it routine, not switching it up as that could mess with your performance in the tournament.”
To many players, the Flanagan Tournament was a proving ground. Avallina Orfield ’25 stated, “I know I can beat these players, so it's really about pushing myself and seeing how far I can go.” Dior Mitchell ’26 echoed, “I just wanted to show I am what I am and to dominate every opponent I played.”
The boys went on to win the tournament, notably sweeping The Hill School 7-0.
There were many spectacular performances in the tournament. Benacquista said, “Finn Mauro [’27] played two matches and did what he was asked to do from a coaching standpoint: beating a Hill player ranked roughly around the same or higher than him.”
The girls team, although they did not claim the win, had several outstanding performances. Benacquista mentioned, “Gaytan was never going to lose a game in the tournament, giving the girls a guaranteed match every time. Orfield did fantastic, Hisano Enomoto [’25] has been really good, and Sarah Howley does well in the middle of the lineup.”
As the prestigious US Junior Open looms, the squash team will keep on refining their skills and improving their game.
“With the US Junior Open next weekend, we have 4–5 players playing, so their training will taper this week in preparation for that,” Benacquista noted. “The points of focus are matchups against the Lawrenceville School, Episcopal Academy, and other MAPL schools. The boys team is aiming for top 16 in the nation, which demands us to really step up to the task against the top eight teams that we’ll be eventually facing.”