By Guest Contributor

Jan. 27, 2016:  Winter Storm Jonas could not stop the Bronxville Middle School squash team, which traveled this past weekend to Yale University in New Haven to compete in the U.S. Squash Middle School Team Championship. The team achieved tremendous success finishing third in the Boys Divisions I & II, and second in Division III. Bronxville sent five teams, a total of twenty-five children, to the event.

Bronxville's first team was made up of five nationally ranked, seasoned eighth-graders:  Harry Charlton, Conner Stoltz, Sam Charlton, Justin Barr, and Pippa Fraser. The team made it to the semifinals losing only one match but then had to face the number-two seed Haverford and unfortunately lost 4-1 with two close five-game losses. Although disappointed, the team did win its next match against Bala Cynwyd Welsh Valley, a public school from the Philadelphia area, 4-1, to take third place. Bronxville's second team also competed in Division I, a testament to the strength of the Bronxville program. Other schools with two teams in Division I include squash powerhouses Brunswick, Haverford, and Chestnut Hill. Bronxville's second team included sixth-grader Molly Stoltz, returning seventh-graders Johnny Moynihan and Tate Burgin, and eighth-graders William Murphy and James Millard.

Bronxville's third team also had a successful weekend. The team included eighth-grader James Apostolatos, seventh-graders Daanyal Agboatwalla and Laine Neild, and sixth-graders Peter Vorbach and Lily Jebejian. The team easily defeated its first opponent, City Squash B, 5-0 and moved on to a close match with Princeton Day School, which they defeated 3-2 with an amazing come-from-behind match by Laine Neild. Laine was down two games and ultimately won the match. The team unfortunately lost to Germantown Friends 4-1 in the semifinals but came roaring back to defeat City Squash A 3-2 with a crucial win by James Apostolatos, who won 12-10 in the fifth game.

Finally, Bronxville's fourth team had the most success of the weekend, bringing home silver for a second-place finish. The team included eighth-graders Charles Bogatyrenko, Jimmy Hennessy, Will Tormey, and Peter Ackerman and sixth-grader Stella Shah. The team's closest match came early in the draw when it defeated Central Middle School, a school in Bronxville's League, 3-2. The team breezed through the semifinals and then ultimately lost in the finals 4-1 to Stanwich of Greenwich. Bronxville also had another team in this division, which ended up finishing seventh. This team included sixth-graders Dya Acharjee, Katie Hennessy, Spencer Krex, and Sabrina Latham and seventh-grader AJ Radik.

Bronxville is a member of the Fairwest Public School Squash Association (FWPSSA), which was started in 2008 to enable public school students in high school and middle school in Westchester and Fairfield Counties to play squash in a competitive interscholastic environment. Teams in the league include Darien, Greenwich, New Canaan, Rye High School, Staples of Westport, Bronxville, Fairfield, Madison, and newest members Harrison and Briarcliff. Most of these schools send at least one team to the U.S. Squash Middle and High School Nationals, and many send two or three. FWPSSA is sanctioned by U.S. Squash, the sport's national governing body.

The Bronxville School squash program is now in its sixth year and was started by Kim Morse, a Bronxville mother, as a combined middle school/high school program open to sixth- to twelfth-graders. The program has grown and boasts a varsity and JV team of 18 players and a middle school team of 30 players. 

Regarding Bronxville's success, Amy Charlton, the middle school chair of FWPSSA as well as parent coordinator for the Bronxville program, commented, "It was really exciting this year to see our team do well across all our levels. For the past three years we've seen great results with our A and B teams, but to see that success trickle down to our other teams is very gratifying."  

Charlton attributes the team's success to the instructional focus of the program at the middle school level. The team is coached by top pros from both the Bronxville Field Club and Pyramid Squash. In fact, Ajaz Azmat, the Field Club head pro, accompanied the team to nationals and watched all the matches, no easy feat with five teams. Charlton commented, "We also have great support from The Bronxville School. I cannot overstate the importance of our school, coaches, and facilities, as well as parents' willingness to finance the program in our success."

Pictured here (rotating): Teams 1 to 5.

Photos courtesy the squash team