Contributed article written by David Chass

February 26, 2024 – The Greenwich High School student-athletes of Greenwich Squash achieved unprecedented success recently at the 2024 U.S. High School Squash Championships played in Philadelphia, PA.

The Greenwich Squash boys team captured its first-ever national team championship while the girls squad finished in third place in their respective divisions at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center in Philadelphia.

More than 200 schools and 1,600 players participated in this year’s ultra-competitive event, the world’s largest squash tournament. The Greenwich Squash boys team battled throughout the tournament to win the Division IV championship, outlasting 15 other teams in its bracket to bring home their winner’s trophies. The team is composed of co-captains Jake Duda (GHS senior) and Parker Young (GHS sophomore); seniors George Nahm and Aubrey Niederhoffer; sophomores Noah Chass and Addison Towle; and freshmen Nate Park and James Tesei.

Co-parent managers Cora Towle and David Chass noted the tournament victory came as a result of a true team effort, with all team members securing key wins throughout the three days, and the winning combinations being different in each match.

The Greenwich Squash boys team defeated public and private high schools from Massachusetts (Brookline High School), Pennsylvania (Lower Merion School District), New York (Rye High School), and Connecticut (Kingswood-Oxford School) on its way to the capturing the championship.

In the championship match against West Hartford’s private school, Kingswood-Oxford School, Greenwich lost its first match, before Nate Park stormed back to even the team match. George Nahm then swept his opponent, winning three straight games to give Greenwich a short-lived 2-1 lead before the match was tied up again 2-2.

Noah Chass then also won his match in three games to put Greenwich
up 3-2. Kingswood-Oxford’s higher-rated No. 1 player won his match to once again even the match, leaving the outcome to the final match. Freshman James Tesei took the court for Greenwich with all of his teammates just outside the court cheering him on. The first game was extremely close, but Tesei outlasted his opponent 11-9. After that, Tesei took complete control, winning the next two games to win his match and hand Greenwich Squash the championship.
Co-Captain Parker Young, the team’s top-rated player, reflected on the weekend, saying, “Over Nationals, we really came together as a team, through coaching, supporting each other, bonding and cheering, throughout all the ups and downs. Without that camaraderie, I don’t think our win would have been possible. Watching my teammates and friends become better players, learning and growing throughout the year, was an incredible experience. I am so proud of our team for taking home Greenwich High School’s first ever-boys win this year and look forward to defending that title next year.”

Co-captain Jake Duda looked forward to the team he is leaving behind as he moves onto college, adding: “This season and the accomplishments that have come with it has created a new aura around Greenwich Squash. This season has set the precedent for years to come and has given future teams something to build off. In the coming years, I have a feeling Greenwich Squash is going to be better
than ever and will be a force to be reckoned with.”
Legendary Greenwich Squash leader Toni Montiero noted “I’m tremendously proud of these kids and this Greenwich Squash program – both the boys and the girls. The club has grown and matured since it
was founded in 2008, all leading to this weekend’s first-ever championship for the Boys’ program.”
Montiero also observed this year’s Greenwich Girls performance is its best since the Girls team won its only championship in 2019.
Greenwich Squash’s Girls are led by co-captains and seniors Erin Beiley and Samantha Scharff, and include junior Tavi Choudhary, sophomore Mariam Fahimi, and freshmen Katie Duff, Youhan Liang,
Sara Anderson Rahimtula and Terra McDonnell. Co-parent managers Janine Scharf and Karen Beiley pointed to Anderson Rahimtula and Fahimi winning all four of their matches by scores of 3-0, and Duff’s
thrilling, come-from-behind victory in her final match as highlights of the tournament.

Greenwich Squash’s girls won their first two team matches by commanding 5-2 scores to advance to the semifinal. In that match, the girls succumbed to the eventual division champion by a
5-2 score. The girls team then took the court against Miss Porter’s School with third place in the national tournament on the line.
Just like the boys, the final match was a back-and-forth, nail-biter.
After the first two matches, the score was tied 1-1.

After the next two matches, the schools were tied at 2-2. The schools split the next two matches to leave the match deadlocked again at 3-3 going into the final match. Greenwich Squash’s Katie Duff nervously dropped the first two games. With nothing to lose, Duff steeled herself and eked out wins in the next two games 11-9 and 11-8. With her teammates screaming for her, Duff went out and controlled the final game, winning 11-3 to clinch the victory and a third-place finish for Greenwich Squash.
Co-captain Samantha Scharff said “I’m so proud of all the girls and how far they’ve come. Everyone has improved so much throughout the season, and I loved seeing every girl put their all into supporting their
teammates this weekend. The team spirit and friendships we’ve developed on this team are something I’m heartbroken to leave behind.”

Co-captain Erin Beiley added “These last four years, we’ve been building and creating a team. This year was the culmination of all that work with us coming together as a cohesive unit to respect and
support each other. We finished off the season all working together and I hope the team continues to foster such a supportive and fun environment. We have a very strong group of young women who are
going to continue to develop. We may have taken third place this year, but next year we’re going all the way.”
Looking back at the tournament as a whole, Greenwich Squash’s coach, Elliot Ridge of MSquash in Port Chester, N.Y., remarked “the entire weekend and tournament was a massive team effort. It was electric – the boys and girls supported each other in a way I’ve never seen. It was so much fun to watch them play their hearts out and dig deep for every point. I am unbelievably proud of each and every one of them.”
Greenwich Squash is a fully parent-volunteer led program which aims to promote the sport of squash in our public schools. Greenwich Squash teams participate in the FairWest Public School Squash
Association (FairWest), a league founded in 2008 to support public school squash in Westchester and Fairfield Counties, and surrounding areas. In the 2023-24 season, FairWest had approximately 500
High School players participating in the league, making it one of the largest scholastic squash leagues in the USA.