The squash team won two matches and lost two matches, finishing 10th of 16 teams in their division at the USA Squash National Championships on Feb. 22 in Hartford, Connecticut. 

This was the team’s first time competing at the national championship. After an application to the competition, they were placed in one of 10 divisions. 

“At the Nationals it’s very competitive — there’s a big spectator group, big crowds cheering,” assistant coach Sharon Harrison said. “It was an initial distraction, but it’s just managing to use that energy in a positive way.”

The Maroons won their matches against Kingswood Oxford School and Loomis Chaffee School 4-3, losing 2-5 to Suffield Academy and 4-3 to the Millbrook School. 

The seven members of the team are Hudson Lin, Peter Grissom, Gaurav Shekhawat, Jacob Grissom, John Patras, Serena Thomas and William Kraemer.

“They are really fantastic supporting each other, and also cheering on their team,” Ms. Harrison said. “In between each other’s games, they’d go down and they’d help coach [each other], and look at where they could get points and make their opponents work a little bit harder.” 

Peter, a junior, said the nationals brought the team together. 

“It was our first time as a high school team at nationals, and it was just really fun,” Peter said. “We really bonded as a team.”