PHILADELPHIA, PA. – Reaching the Walker Cup final for the second consecutive year, the Wesleyan women's squash team proved up to the task once again to defend their Walker Cup Crown, the C Division title of the College Squash Association's Team Division Championships, and tore down No. 22 Franklin and Marshall College in an 8-1 final score from the Arlen Spector US Squash Center on Sunday morning.
Making their 17
th all-time appearance in the CSA Team Division Championships in a title rematch with the Diplomats, the Cardinals let loose with 3-0 sweeps up and down the lineup, fixing their matches in under 25 minutes. The second title in program history came in just the fourth matchup in the C Division, the Cardinals making a showing in 2012, 2013, and 2024. In the 2024 Walker Cup final, the Cardinals defeated the Diplomats 5-4.
Senior
Portia Pliam '25 dropped only two points in 10 minutes, stamping out her opponent Marwa ElHawwam at #9 in a 11-1, 11-1, 11-0 final score. Quick on Pliam's heels,
Leandra Sze '26 at #8 was not messing around and held Lavanya Mio Seshasayee to only six points through all three games and won 11-2, 11-1, 11-3.
Featured at #2,
Avika Pande '26 walked away with another point for the Cardinals, going 11-5, 11-6, 11-5 over Diplomat Zarine Gidwaney. Katherin Risden's '28 performance at #7 over Joey Ho earned her a point and match win as she went 11-5, 11-4, 11-5. Facing Rory Dasher at #6,
Penelope Furnas '27 edged Dasher through games one and two but was forced to extra points in game three as Dasher caught her in the final minutes. Furnas still completed the win with a11-8, 11-9, 12-10 final tally.
Highlighting at #4 all season,
Jaclyn Dichter '26 finished out a sweep over Ashanti Amastal, posting 11-5, 11-5, 11-9. At #2, Mia Todd tried to keep up with
Aanya Anand '26 through all three games but was unable to catch Anand who finished the match 11-8, 11-7, 11-8.
With victory awaiting as one more point was to be had,
Rachel Matamoros '24 closed out the match win for the Cardinals at #5 after being forced to five games in a 3-2 triumph over Tatum Long. Matamoros took a two game lead to open the match but with a win available to either side, Tatum pulled through in games three and four, tying the match. Tatum would only be allowed three more points as a 11-4, 11-5, 9-11, 9-11, 11-3 final score turned over the Walker Cup to the Cardinals.
The Diplomats picked up one match point at #1 as
Mira Bakshi '25 was defeated 3-0 by Gurlin kaur.
The Cardinals finish the 2024-25 season 13-5 overall as head coach
Shona Kerr crossed the 200-win threshold and holds a standing 211-230 within the women's program.
