Agnes Irwin places second at US Squash High School Nationals

Rosemont – The Agnes Irwin squash program had a record-breaking weekend, with the varsity and JV squads placing higher than ever before at the US Squash High School Nationals tournament Feb. 3-4.

Agnes Irwin’s varsity team, seeded second in the first division, defeated Hotchkiss, Deerfield Academy, and Baldwin en route to the first division finals. After a hard fought match, AIS dropped the final to 10-time champions Greenwich Academy, 6-1, with an individual win by sophomore Olivia Walsh over Greenwich’s Emma MacTaggart (11-5,6-11,11-8,13-11).

In the second division, the Agnes Irwin JV squad defeated Poly Prep, Milton Academy, and St. Paul’s (all varsity squads) before dropping a close match to St. George’s in the final, 4-3. The JV squad saw strong performances in the finals by Rose Lawrence (def. Darcy Weber, 11-8,11-6,11-4), Annie Hepburn (def. Amelia Schofield, 11-9,13-11,15-13), and Julianne Carey (def. Georgina Green, 11-6,11-0,11-3).

Led by veteran coach Maurice Heckscher, who will retire at the end of the season after 15 years with the team, the Agnes Irwin JV squad placed 18th overall in the tournament.

Agnes Irwin Director of Squash Alex Stait said, “I could not be more proud of our team’s sportsmanship and togetherness under huge amounts of pressure. Our captains, seniors Lily Zelov and Rose Lawrence, played fantastic squash in critical matches. This is a special group and could not have represented Agnes Irwin with any more pride or passion.”