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Panthers Earn Top Seed In Walker Cup At CSA Championship

The 17th-ranked Middlebury women's squash team has earned the top seed in the Collegiate Squash Association's (CSA) Walker Cup bracket and will square off with 24th-ranked Denison in its opening match. The Panthers are making their 46th all-time appearance at the championship. The three-day event begins on Friday morning at the University of Pennsylvania's Squash Center and Drexel's Kline & Specter Squash Center.

ABOUT MIDDLEBURY
  • Middlebury is seeking its third Walker Cup title in the program's history, winning the crown in 2004 and 2005.
  • The Panthers finished in seventh place in the Walker Cup bracket during last year's team championships.
  • The team comes into action this weekend with a 10-6 overall record, including seven victories against top-25 foes.
PANTHERS TO WATCH
  • Maya Bardorf has posted an impressive 11-1 overall record this season, including nine triumphs over the last 10 matches. 
  • Producing a solid first season in a Panther uniform is Abbie Peterson. She ranks second on the team with 10 wins (10-6) and owns a 7-1 record in the seventh slot.
  • Lindsey Burnham and Abby Holding have anchored the top-two places in the ladder for most of the season. Burnham (8-6) has held down the #1 spot, while Holding has seven wins, with six of those coming the second spot.
  • Solidifying the middle of the Panther lineup is Caroline Arena, posting a 6-3 record at #6.
ABOUT DENISON
  • Denison is in just its second full season of competing as a varsity sport.
  • The Big Red have posted a 9-5 record this season. 
  • Denison has tallied six victories this winter in which they didn't surrender a point to the opposition.
  • The Big Red finished in third place in the Liberty League's five-team round-robin conference tournament. 
  • The program is competing in the CSA Team Championships on the varsity level for the first time after not taking part in the event last year.
BIG RED TO WATCH
  • Maria Clara Ramirez Velasquez has played every match at the top of the ladder, posting an 11-3 record.
  • One spot below is Antoinette Ramsey with an 8-6 record, while Natalie Stanchina has solidified the bottom of the ladder and ranks second on the team with 10 wins (10-5).
  • Kate Manderlink (9-3) and Hannah Best (9-5) each have had productive seasons in the seventh and eighth positions, respectively.
SERIES HISTORY
  • Friday's quarterfinal match marks the first meeting between Middlebury and Denison.
ABOUT THE BRACKET
  • The Walker Cup bracket features many familiar opponents for the Panthers.
  • NESCAC foes Wesleyan and Colby square off in a quarterfinal match, as Middlebury bested Colby 7-2 and edged Wesleyan 5-4 earlier this season.
  • Franklin & Marshall takes on Chatham, as the Panthers defeated the Diplomats 6-3 on January 8.
  • The fourth quarterfinal has Dickinson playing Georgetown. The Panthers posted identical 7-2 triumphs over the Red Devils and Hoyas.
  • If the Panthers triumph on Friday morning, they would play the winner of Wesleyan and Colby in the semifinal round.
CHAMPIONSHIP INFO  For more information about the championship event, please visit the championship hub.
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