Baldwin Squash Program Wins Two National Titles

The following was provided to Patch by The Baldwin School:

Baldwin’s Varsity and Junior Varsity squash teams each won the 2015 US Squash High School National Championship for their respective division on Feb. 8 in Hartford, Conn. The event is the largest team squash tournament in the world.

The varsity team, under the direction of first-year Head Coach Jamie Macaulay, won the school’s first ever Patterson Cup by defeating eight-time Division One champions Greenwich Academy (CT) 4-3. Baldwin will house high school squash’s coveted silverware this year, for the first time in the school’s history.

“I think it makes a big difference when your team believes they can do something special,” said Baldwin Head Coach Macaulay after the match. “This year, we have such an optimistic, aspirational group of girls who played for each other. I was incredibly proud of how they played. I was incredibly proud of how they held themselves together, and how composed they were under pressure. With 100 people screaming your name—or your opponent’s name—it’s something that’s very difficult, but the girls were fantastic.”

The final was Baldwin’s first appearance in the girls’ division one final. After winning 7-0 to the Groton School in the first round match, Baldwin went on to defeat Noble and Greenough School 6-1 in the Quarterfinals and Deerfield Academy 4-3 in the Semifinals.

In the championship match against Greenwich Academy, every Baldwin player faced an opponent with a higher rating. Greenwich was favored to defeat the Bears 7-0. With the final match tied at 3-3, Olivia Horwitz ’16 won the deciding match 3-1 at the #4 position. Sumi Mudgil ‘17 won 3-2 at the #2 position, Maansi Mudgil ‘18 won 3-2 at the #5 spot and Grace Steelman ‘18 won 3-1 at the #6 position.

“This championship changes the way we think about our program,” Macaulay continued. “For so long, the girls have been exceptionally good, but just fallen short. This year, I have been incredibly impressed with the self-belief that this team has shown. It starts a whole new chapter for Baldwin squash.”

At the junior varsity level, the Baldwin team — led by first-year Head Coach Rob Wilkins — captured the Division Four championship with a convincing 6-1 win against Poly Prep (NY). The following players won their match in the final: #1 Pallavi Sreedhar ‘17 (3-1), #3 Natalia Schafer ‘18 (3-0), #4 Angela Yang ‘18 (3-1), #5 Margaret Frantz ‘17 (3-1), #6 Audrey Hong ‘18 (3-0) and #7 Hannah Dubinski ‘18 (3-0).

“These two National Titles for the Baldwin Squash program are the ultimate athletic story about the spirit of competition, unselfish play, meticulous preparation and the belief in the power of TEAM,” stressed Baldwin Director of Athletics Deb Surgi. “I, along with the entire Baldwin community, could not be more proud of the accomplishments of our players and coaches. It is a privilege to be a part of this special squash program.”

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