The 13th-ranked Middlebury women's squash team has garnered the top seed in the Kurtz Cup at the Collegiate Squash Association (CSA) Divisional Team Championships. The three-day event begins Friday at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center in Philadelphia, with the Panthers taking on #20/eighth-seeded Denison at 12:00 p.m. in quarterfinal action. 

ABOUT MIDDLEBURY

• Middlebury comes into the CSA Championship weekend at 12-5 with nine triumphs against top-25 teams.
• The Panthers recorded a program record 10 straight from November 21 through January 24.
• The squad makes its 41st appearance in the CSA Championships.
• Middlebury has secured a place in the Kurtz Cup for the third season in a row and the 15th time. 
• The Panthers made the Kurtz Cup Semifinals at last year's championships, falling 8-1 to conference foe Amherst.

PANTHERS TO WATCH

• Lindsey Burnham has been the primary player at the top of the ladder this season, tallying 11 victories.
• In her second season, Aanvi Anand has manufactured a team-best 12-5 mark with nine triumphs at #2, while Izzy Ronda has accumulated eight triumphs in the third slot. 
• Sabrina Schwarz continues to impress this winter. She sits second on the team in victories with 11 and sports a 10-2 record in the fourth spot. 
• Mariana Reedich and Lillian Showalter are mainstays at #5 and #6. Reedich has seven triumphs this year. Showalter has tallied 10 match wins in her rookie campaign, including eight in the sixth slot. 
• Madeline Schwarz, Caroline Didden and Lucy Ronda have seen action this winter. Schwarz has earned victories in seven of her last 10 and an 8-4 mark at the seventh slot, while Didden has tallied seven victories at #8. Lucy Ronda also sports a double-digit win total at 10-5 heading into the championships.

ABOUT DENISON

• Denison enters the weekend at 11-3 and winners of six matches in a row.
• The Big Red are in their fifth season as a varsity program.
• Denison is competing in its third CSA Divisional Championship. Its best finish came last winter with a third-place showing in the Walker Cup.

BIG RED TO WATCH

• Playing primarily at #1, Charlotte Jones has tallied 12 victories against one setback. 
• Amelia Keng sports six triumphs in the second spot, while Helena Fournaris has posted five wins at #3.
• In the fourth slot, DaNerah Chisholm is 7-6 this winter and Madeleine Ruggie has secured nine wins in the middle of the ladder.
• The trio of Kate Manderlink (10-3), Lane Harding (12-2) and Tess Lanza (10-2) have had solid outputs this season from the sixth, seventh and eighth spots, respectively. Harding's 12 triumphs are tied for the team lead. 
• Closing out the lineup are Nicole Smith and Nora Afzali, who have a combined 13-1 mark.

SERIES HISTORY

• The programs meet for just the second time.
• Middlebury won the lone matchup with an 8-1 decision in the 2023 Walker Cup Quarterfinals.

ABOUT THE BRACKET

• The Kurtz Cup is the "B" bracket of the tournament, featuring teams ranked #13 through #20 in the final CSA rankings.
• Five of the eight teams in this year's bracket hail from the NESCAC.
• The squads competing for the Kurtz championship are the Panthers, #14 Georgetown, #15 Columbia, #16 Williams, #17 Bowdoin, #18 Colby, #19 Wesleyan and #20 Denison.
• Middlebury is 6-0 against the bracket, tallying two victories over the Ephs and wins against the Hoyas, Polar Bears, Mules and Cardinals.

CHAMPIONSHIP INFO

• Location: Philadelphia, Pa.
• Venue: Arlen Specter US Squash Center
• CSA Championship Page