The boys’ squash team, under the keen mentorship of Coaches Matt Trowbridge and Asad Khan, earned 5th place in Division II this year. Achieving this feat propelled them to the 21st spot in the country, but their victories did not come without hard work and determination. The Boys’ Team attributes its massive success to a greatly-faceted journey.
From talented individuals to experienced coaches, a stellar 13-5 record, and satisfying wins over both Lawrenceville and Pingry, PDS Boys’ Squash placed in Division II in Nationals. Given that there are over 100 teams spread across seven divisions, the Panthers proudly made history this season.
One distinguished member, sophomore Colten McLaughlin, contributed tremendously to the triumph. Beginning his squash journey at age five, the desire for victory motivated him to excel in the sport. McLaughlin shared, “I was mostly motivated by seeing how high I could climb in the National Squash rankings.” But his view changed after he mastered his technical skills, and his rankings began to reflect his efforts. He had a newfound passion for squash and “fell in love with the game.” While a third-place rank in the Under-17 age group does not come easily, the “addictive” nature of challenging competition is what continues to drive his game.
Senior Will Maschler, captain of the team, shared a similar story. He believes in setting a positive example, even when losing a game, so as to support our future generation of squash players. Maschler explained his optimism: “Although losing is never fun, every loss motivates me to work even harder than before.”
Younger players such as freshman JJ Luo and 8th grader Reagan McLaughlin agreed, anticipating PDS reaching the top 20 programs in the nation. Coach Trowbridge added, “With squash built into the PE program and low-cost clinics available to the entire community…we’ve seen an overall rise in players’ skill at every level!” This allows for young players to begin to develop squash skills both physically and mentally—eventually preparing them for the high school team. Coach Khan detailed how he achieved this “by facilitating their skill refinement from the ground up, [by] ensuring they can continuously progress and [by] avoiding stagnation when competing against opponents of equal or greater fitness levels we find success.” Through motivation and a passion for the game, all members of the team believe Nationals to be a success. May PDS Squash have a bright future!
