After coming off quite possibly its best season since its inception in the 2000s, the Harriton-Lower Merion squash team had big shoes to fill.  

As the number-one ranked public school in a sport that is largely dominated by private schools and their boarding school cousins, expectations were high this season.  

The Varsity Boys squad, having lost four seniors to graduation, began the rebuilding process strongly, ensuring that it will be highly competitive in the years to come.  After all, while there isn’t one single senior on the Varsity team, three Harriton freshmen, Blaze Broderson, Avi Shende, and Alex Unruh, made the squad.  

While having a tough regular season, the team recently geared up for High School Nationals.  The tournament, a three-day ordeal, took place here in Philadelphia the first weekend of February, from Friday the 2nd to Sunday the 4th.  

The boys played valiantly and lost in the semi-finals to the eventual runner-ups of the second division, Saint Ann’s School in Brooklyn.  The Boys Varsity team finished in fourth place of the second division, meaning that the team is ranked top 20 in the nation!  Another notable fact that should bring the entire district great pride and pleasure: the Harriton-Lower Merion Boys Varsity is once again the number-one ranked public school team in the country!  

Joining the boys was the Girls Varsity squad, looking to spring off the great season that they had last year.  While having lost their two seniors last year to graduation, the rest of the team stepped up and came to play throughout the season, gaining knowledge and experience.  

Harriton Junior Dani Benstock, playing as HLM’s number one ranked girl, led the team to Nationals, along with Harriton seniors Kiran Khurana and Adina Rubenstein.  The girls, playing in a very difficult second division, finished as one of the best public school teams in the country, capping off a solid season after a large influx of new players.  

Boys Junior Varsity and Girls Junior Varsity also participated in Nationals, albeit at a lower division than their Varsity counterparts.  After a great regular season, the Boys JV faced stiff competition in Division 5.  They will look to take their experience and talent to new heights next year, thanks to a concrete foundation of experienced underclassmen.  

The Girls JV team, themselves a Division 5 team, reached the quarter-finals before losing a tight 4-3 match against the Brearley School, which finished fourth in the division.  The HLM Girls went on to beat rivals Conestoga 4-3 in the Classic Plate playoffs, showing that the program’s prospects are bright and ready for the coming years.  T

he Boys and Girls JV II teams also had a good season, providing players valuable playing time and experience, ensuring that the Varsity and JV teams remain competitive during the next few years.  

Congratulations to all teams and best of luck to the players that will be graduating in June!