The undefeated, 8-0 men’s squash team is ranked first in the nation by the College Squash Association, the first time in school history the squad has been ranked No. 1.
“It’s a great honor to be number one this week. The boys have worked extremely hard this year. We’ve gotten off to a great start, winning some tough matches in some really tough places,” says Head Coach Gilly Lane. “While it’s great to be recognized as the No. 1 team this week, we still know we have a ton of work to do and plenty of big matches ahead of us. We just have to go back to the drawing board and continue to do what we’re doing on a daily basis, and push harder to make sure that we continue to have the success that we’ve had this season.”
The Quakers have racked up impressive wins against some of the top teams in the country. They opened the season in November with victories over No. 17 Franklin & Marshall and No. 11 Drexel in the Pennsylvania State Classic in Lancaster.
Next, they knocked off No. 9 George Washington on Nov. 17, No. 13 Virginia on Nov. 18, No. 5 Rochester on Dec. 1, and No. 4 St. Lawrence on Dec. 2.
Opening Ivy League play on Jan. 12, they defeated No. 7 Yale 7-2 in Connecticut, their first road win against the Bulldogs since 2006. The Red & Blue felled No. 15 Brown on Jan. 13.
Penn is just one of two undefeated teams in college squash.
Playing at the No. 1 slot, sophomore Andrew Douglas, a First-Team All-American last season, is 6-2.
Six Quakers are undefeated: Freshmen Aly Abou Eleinen, James Flynn, and Michael Mehl; sophomore Yash Bhargava; and seniors Karim Hussein and Jonathan Zeitels.
On Saturday, Jan. 26, the Red & Blue take on Trinity at Drexel’s Kline and Specter Squash Center.
