US Squash has announced the Men’s and Women’s teams that will represent the United States at the 2013 Pan American Squash Championships in Buenos Aires, Argentina, September 1-8.
The Men’s and Women’s teams are led by player-coaches Gilly Lane and Natalie Grainger.
The Men’s Team consists of recent Princeton graduate and current professional Todd Harrity, University of Rochester student Faraz Khan and Heights Casino Assistant Professional Graham Bassett. The Women’s team includes Harvard University student and World no.23 Amanda Sobhy, her younger sister and World no. 71 Sabrina Sobhy and World no. 66 Olivia Blatchford.
Lane makes the step up from player to player-coach after being a key fixture in the U.S Men’s Team for many years and coming off a strong performance at the 2013 Men’s Team World Championship. Current U.S. Champion Natalie Grainger, having just returned from the World Masters in Turin with the gold medal in the Women’s 35/40/45 Open division, leads a young and exciting Women’s team into the event.
The 2013 Pan American Squash Championships includes team, singles, and doubles competitions as a part of the 2013 Pan American Federation Cup, which is played every four years. The 2015 Pan-American Squash Championships in Toronto are a part of the larger Pan American Games, which is played in a quadrennial cycle each year before the Olympic Games.
In the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, both the Men’s and Women’s teams earned bronze medals, Chris Gordon and Julian Illingworth won silver in Men’s doubles, and Blatchford and Maria Elena Ubina also captured silver in the Women’s doubles.
The results from the Pan-American Federation Cup will determine the seeding for the Pan-American Games, Team USA will therefore be looking for a strong performance to give themselves the best chance of success in 2015.
For more information on National Teams, click here.