PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Columbia women's squash players Renee Chan and Advita Sharma made history Sunday as the first doubles pair in program history to win the U.S. Intercollegiate Women's Doubles Championship.
 
The duo earned three wins this weekend, which culminated with a win in the championship match Sunday afternoon at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center. Chan and Sharma received a bye in the Round of 16 and posted a 9-11, 12-10, 11-5, 11-7 vicotry over Chatham's Valentina Della-Maddalena and Sofia Pinto Combita to earn a spot in the semifinals Sunday.
 
Chan and Sharma rolled through the semifinals with a 12-10, 11-9, 11-9 won over Mary Kacergis and Lindsay Lee from Georgetown. Chan and Sharma then dominated in the championship match with an 11-8, 11-5, 11-7 victory over Drexel's Claudia Adam and Maddison Laine.
 
"Renee and Advita got better each match they played," Kenneth W. Torrey Head Coach of Squash Chris Sachvie said. "They had great team chemistry, supported each other and worked amazing as a team out there. They can now call themselves intercollegiate doubles champions, which is a great accomplishment."
 
In mixed doubles, the duo of Tommy Soltanian and Eugenia Li reached the championship match after receiving a bye in the Round of 32 and posting three wins. Soltanian and Li rolled past Chatham's Lucas Oliveria and Clara Braga to earn a spot in the championship. Soltanian and Li were defeated in three games, 11-6, 12-10, 11-5 by Brown's Blake Roshkoff and Rachel Mashek in the championship.
 
The Lions also saw some success in the 2024 College Squash Association (CSA) National Collegiate Individual Championships this weekend. Erica McGillicuddy made a run to the Holleran Cup South Division championship match. She earned two wins Friday and battled through five games to defeat Stanford's Yuvna Gupta in the semifinals, 11-6, 11-9, 11-13, 7-11, 11-5. McGillicuddy won the first two games in the championship match, but ultimately fell in five games to Princeton's Emma Trauber, 10-12, 11-13, 11-8, 11-5, 11-9.
 
Amal Izhar also competed in the Holleran Cup on the women's side. She played in the North Division and advanced to the quarterfinals. Izhar defeated Brown's Lily Seckendorf, 11-5, 11-6, 11-13, 7-11, 11-6 before falling to Gigi Yeung from Yale in the quarterfinals.
 
Shaurya Bawa made the deepest run in the Molloy Cup on the men's side as he reached the semifinals of the East Division. Bawa cruised past Samuel Lovejoy from Connecticutt College in three games before defeating Bowdoin's Thomas Winston, 6-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-5 to earn a spot in the semifinals. Bawa was defeated by Yale's Tad Carney to end his run.
 
Harold Castiaux reached the quarterfinals in the Molloy Cup North Division. Rutvik Rau, Laszlo Godde and Paarth Ambani each lost in the Round of 16 in their divisions.
 
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