At the University, many club teams serve as an outlet for students who wish to pursue their love of a sport, but perhaps not to the extent a commitment to a Division I varsity team would require. This norm, however, does not apply to University club squash.
The men's and women's club squash teams are led by senior captain Mary Whelan, who jointly oversees both groups. The teams travel up and down the East Coast (mostly up though) in order to compete against some of the top varsity squash squads in the country.
In case you missed it, Whelan is captain of the men's and women's club squash teams.
"I'm the only girl that plays in the entire men's division, in the entire men's league," Whelan said.
Not an easy feat in a society where sports are segregated by gender.
Having played the sport since she was in middle school, Whelan came into Virginia and tried out on the men's team as a first year.
Whelan estimates that there were about 10 or 12 players on the men's team when she first joined to practice with the men.
"At that time, you tried out and they just took the top 10 people," she said. "We've been much more liberal about who can join the team [now], because it's hard to ask someone to give up their three-day weekend to go to Connecticut for a tournament."
Now, the men's and women's teams both have around 16 or 17 players, and are considered real contenders in the varsity rankings. The men's team was given a preseason ranking of 37, while the women were ranked 25.
Not only are both teams projected to move up after recent wins against George Washington and Haverford -- both of which are ranked higher than the Cavaliers -- but the women's squad is looking to defend the national title they won last year.
A national win for a club team is virtually unheard of in the college sports realm, especially when the women's team didn't exist before Whelan.
"I was playing on the men's team, and I knew there were a bunch of girls who played who were pretty talented who I knew from playing against [in high school], so I knew we could have a good team if we wanted to," Whelan said on the founding of the women's squad. "I did all the recruiting in high school to play squash in college so I knew all the coaches who could help me start up a team. They got all our fees waived every year, helped me set up matches, and offered to host us any time."
After three years, both the men's and women's teams continue to grow.
"Even with just a club team now, the men's team brought in like six kids who are all interested in playing squash in college, who are all good players," David Whelan, Mary's freshman brother, said on the team's expansion.
With a club team that can win nationals and climb the ranks, the players have considered the prospects of holding varsity status.
"We're the only southern school" that plays squash, junior Sarah Hawkins said. "We have such a good reputation, and to compete with the Ivies, it would draw kids who would want to go south but also want to play squash in college. I think [the school] just does not want to add any more varsity sports, but to be honest, I really think that there could be serious interest in attracting high-caliber students to this school athletically."
Most players believe if squash were to be a varsity sport, Virginia undoubtedly would dominate the competition.
"I know my dad has the money and is ready to build courts" for a varsity team, Hawkins said on the possibility of squash becoming a varsity sport. For now, though, the team continues to compete very successfully on the varsity level as a club sport.
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