Granville, Ohio - Fresh off the first Liberty League championship in program history and its first trip to the Kurtz Cup at the College Squash Association National Divisional Championships, the Denison women's squash team returns two-time Liberty League Player of the Year
Charlotte Jones and seven players from last season's championship lineup as it begins its title defense.
2025-26 Recap
Denison put together a breakthrough season, posting an 11-5 record and climbing to No. 20, the highest ranking in program history. The Big Red rolled through Haverford and Vassar by 9-0 scores at the Liberty League Championships in Canton, N.Y., before outlasting reigning champion St. Lawrence 5-4 in the final for the program's first conference title.
The championship came down to the bottom of the lineup, where
Tess Lanza and
Nicole Smith each won five-game matches at No. 8 and No. 9 to deliver the 5-4 victory. Jones went 3-0 at No. 1 on the weekend and was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Performer.
The Big Red then made their first-ever appearance in the Kurtz Cup at the CSA Divisional Championships in Philadelphia, falling to Middlebury in the quarterfinals and No. 17 Bowdoin in the consolation bracket. Jones earned Denison's lone win against Bowdoin with a 3-0 sweep at No. 1.
Major Postseason Award Winners
- Charlotte Jones – Liberty League Player of the Year (second straight); Liberty League Championship Most Outstanding Performer
- Mike MacDonald and Tron Torres – Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year (second straight)
Key Returners
Denison graduated First Team All-Liberty League seniors
Lane Harding and
Kate Manderlink, but returns four of its six all-conference honorees. Leading the way is junior captain
Charlotte Jones, who played every match at No. 1 last season and went 14-1 overall and 5-0 in league play. A two-time Liberty League Player of the Year and two-time First Team selection, Jones is 26-3 over her first two seasons with the Big Red.
Junior
Maddie Ruggie returns as a First Team All-Liberty League honoree after a 9-7 season and a 5-1 mark in league play from the middle of the lineup. Junior
Tess Lanza earned Second Team honors after going 10-4 overall and 5-0 in the league, and senior
Nicole Smith was an Honorable Mention pick after a 6-3 season that included a 4-0 record against Liberty League opponents. Both came up big in the title match, winning five-game battles at the bottom of the lineup.
The top of the lineup also returns intact behind Jones, with juniors
Amelia Keng and
Helena Fournaris and sophomore
Da'Nerah Chisholm, who played at No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 in both the Liberty League final and the CSA Championships. Sophomore
Manna Cohan rounds out the returning group.
Newcomers
Denison welcomes two first-years to Granville:
Sofia Aguinada (La Libertad, El Salvador) and
Marisa Coleman (Baltimore, Md.).
A Look at the Schedule
- Season Opener: Dec. 6 at Hamilton at 10 a.m. (Clinton, N.Y.)
- Liberty League Opener: Dec. 6 vs. Bard at 2 p.m. (Clinton, N.Y.)
- Haverford Weekend: Jan. 16 at Haverford and Jan. 17 vs. Wesleyan (Haverford, Pa.)
- New England Swing: Jan. 29-31 at Brown, Connecticut College and Bates
- Liberty League Championships: Feb. 12-14 at St. Lawrence (Canton, N.Y.)
- CSA National Divisional Championships: Feb. 25-28 in Philadelphia
