Saint Andrew’s Squash Team Makes History with First National Championship

In a historic triumph, the Saint Andrew’s School squash team emerged victorious at the U.S. Squash High School National Championship on Sunday, February 25, in Philadelphia. The team's remarkable journey saw them defeat Brunswick School from Greenwich, CT, in a thrilling final, making Saint Andrew’s the first-ever team from Florida to claim the prestigious title.

The tournament, featuring an impressive lineup of 203 teams, witnessed Saint Andrew’s squad make a remarkable comeback after being down three matches to one. Saint Andrew’s Scots edged five-time champions Brunswick 4-3 in a dramatic final. Saint Andrew’s Thiago Cabrejos ’24 held off a five-game comeback from Brunswick’s Anden Boulan during a nailbiting hour-long marathon to win the title.

Reflecting on the hard-fought victory, Cabrejos expressed his determination, "We all trained so hard for this, and I wasn't going to let my teammates down."

The team, led by Head Coach Wael El Hindi and Assistant Coach Peter Cheshire, displayed exceptional skill and resilience throughout the tournament. The members of the victorious squad include Alex Arader ’24, Thiago Cabrejos ’24, Alex Dartnell ’25, Philip Dartnell ’25, Adam Elkaliuoby ’24, Sami Garside ’26, Lars Gertsen ’27, Ty Green ’24, Ewan Harris ’24, and Raya Singh ’24. Throughout the year, Saint Andrew’s Squash program trains locally at the Kinetic Indoor Racquet Club in Boynton Beach.  

The intense final match featured outstanding performances from both teams, and the individual match scores were as follows:

• Alex Dartnell (SA) defeated Will Newman (BS)
  • Score: 11-6, 11-2, 11-2
• Ewan Harris (SA) defeated Johan Hodgson (BS)
  • Score: 11-6, 8-11, 11-3, 11-8
• Oliver Velasco (BS) defeated Alex Arader (SA)
  • Score: 11-4, 14-12, 11-2
• Henry Rain (BS) defeated Lars Gertsen (SA)
  • Score: 9-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-8
• William Newton (BS) gained a win over Ty Green (SA) in a conduct match
• Adam Elkaliuoby (SA) defeated Cole Kline (BS)
  • Score: 5-11, 11-7, 11-7, 11-8
• Thiago Cabrejos (SA) defeated Anden Boulan (BS)
  • Score: 11-6, 11-5, 14-16, 9-11, 11-4

Saint Andrew’s earned the program’s first national title in just its third High School Nationals appearance. The Scots made history by becoming Florida's first “Justi Cup” champion. 

Saint Andrew's program is run by Coach Wael El Hindi of Kinetic Indoor Racquet Club, an internationally recognized coach with over a decade of experience developing squash programs and individual players. He reached a career-high world ranking of World No. 8 during his professional career.