Feature photo courtesy of Dale Walker
The 2013 Middle School Championships have concluded at Yale University with the Pingry School of New Jersey upsetting the Brunswick School of Connecticut in the boys’ division I final and Greenwich Academy of Connecticut retaining the girls’ division I title.
The tournament’s sixth installation involved almost three hundred players forming 45 five-player teams, including teams as far-reaching as Lake Forest, Illinois, Philadelphia, and New York.
Greenwich Academy successfully defended last year’s girls’ division I title with a commanding 5-0 win against Springside Chestnut Hill Academy of Philadelphia, PA.
The boys’ division I title was decided by a 5-game thriller between number one seeds in the final match of the tournament with Pingry level 2-2 in matches against Brunswick — defending champions and favorites. Pingry’s number one seed, Sam Scherl, came back from being down 2-1 in games to win against Bunswick’s top player, Tyler Carney.
Pingry’s victory ended Brunswick’s 4-year boys’ division I winning streak.
The Calvert School of Baltimore, MD won the boys’ division II title with a 4-1 victory against Rye Middle School of Rye, NY.
“The Middle School Team Squash Championships provides many players their first opportunity to change this primarily individualized sport into a team event,” said Dan Heinrich, Tournament Director and Director of Junior Development at U.S. Squash.
“This weekend we’ve truly seen what team squash is all about: nail-biting matches from the first round through the finals with players passionately and emotionally supporting their teammates.”
The tournament has grown from 16 teams in its first year, to an impressive 45 teams this year, with 197 boys and 71 girls participating to make up the 32 boys teams and 13 girls teams.
Complete results are available on the tournament’s webpage at www.ussquash.com/mcshamps.
