Georgetown University Director of Athletics Lee Reed announced that the University has added women’s squash as its newest varsity program for the 2020-2021 season, becoming college squash’s thirty-second varsity women’s program in the country Wednesday, January 29.
Squash has been at Georgetown since 2007 and will bring the University’s number of non-NCAA varsity sports total to four. The current women’s squash program is the third ranked club team in the country, and ranked No. 31 by the College Squash Association (CSA) making it the top-ranked non-varsity program. The team will practice and hold all home matches at Squash on Fire, just two miles from campus in Washington, DC. The new venue features eight courts, including two state-of-the-art all-glass exhibition courts. A national search for a head coach will begin in the coming weeks and will be assisted by Wendy Lawrence, former president of the Women’s College Squash Association.
“We are thrilled to partner with Georgetown Athletics on this exciting transition,” said David Poolman, CSA Executive Director & League Commissioner. “This is a fantastic development for the college squash community, a move that aligns perfectly with one of the core parts of our mission: to increase and enhance opportunities to play college squash. The Georgetown women’s team is a welcome addition to the ranks of our varsity teams. Congratulations, Hoyas, and welcome!”
The CSA season runs from November through late February, culminating with the team championships and individual championships in early March. Georgetown competes in the Mid-Atlantic Squash Conference and will play the maximum of fifteen competition dates. The schedule for the 2020-21 season will be developed this spring and GU will play a majority of its matches against varsity programs during the inaugural season as a varsity sport. This season, there were thirty-one women’s varsity programs in the CSA as well as nineteen club programs including Georgetown.
“As educators and administrators, we strive to broaden the opportunities on campus and the addition of women’s squash aligns with that mission,” Reed said. “Intercollegiate athletics play such an important role within the framework of a university and I’m excited that more students will have an opportunity to compete as varsity athletes, as well as the chance to engage with a new segment of the Georgetown community. As we move ahead, the Department of Athletics will be developing a long-term fundraising plan for this exciting new program.”
For more information visit guhoyas.com and csasquash.com.
