“Man…this team—when we started out, we were just a bunch of players. But over time, it turned into something way more than that. We became a family,” said junior and squash co-captain Colten McLaughlin. This spirit helped to shape the squash team, led by both McLaughlin and senior co-captain Humzah Ladiwala. McLaughlin consistently earns the number one seed on PDS’s varsity squad. Last year, he earned the US Squash All-American Award. He has competed in numerous national and international competitions, including the 2021 US Squash Open, where he earned fourth place in the country, and the Canadian Junior Nationals, where he placed as a finalist in Canada. His success led him to earn the number one spot in his division in the United States in 2022.
While the team faced some difficulty at the beginning of the season, notably a loss against Lawrenceville, they recovered. McLaughlin, having dealt with losses in the past, shared a personal reflection with the team. He discussed how this setback resets the mindset. It exposes the weak points, and it allows people to fix them. Coach Khan shared his thoughts on how McLaughlin influenced the team: “As a captain, he has led by example—bringing the team together with integrity, encouraging sportsmanship in victory, and showing resilience in the face of challenges.”
Through various experiences along his squash journey, like representing Team USA at the Pan American Championships, McLaughlin learned elite-level skill and how to compete under-pressure. He used these skills to improve his rigorous training routine—working out in the gym five days a week and playing squash for a few hours for six days a week—and team strategy. He attributes another key experience, which shaped his journey to his fellow co-captain: “Humzah showed me that the little things—the stuff that does not always get noticed, like staying positive or giving someone a word when they are down—are what shapes a team’s culture.” McLaughlin used this exact advice later in the season when they faced a lack of team spirit. He discerned that the problem was some members were afraid to cheer on their teammates during a match. He remembered what Ladiwala shared and encouraged everyone to cheer for each other.
This past season McLaughlin went undefeated, winning every one of his twelve matches. Ladiwala speaks to his praiseworthy record: “Colten led our team by example: as our best and most experienced player, his conduct and work ethic both on and off the court demonstrated to our team what excellence on a squash court looked like.” The “little things” are what positively shaped the PDS squash team this year.
