Team USA recorded the best performance in program history at the 2025 Pan American Junior Championships, earning three main draw gold medals for the first time in both team competitions and women’s doubles to top the overall medal table with ten, June 29-July 5, in Santiago, Chile.
The 2025 Pan American Junior Championships marked a decade since the U.S. first sent a competitive delegation in recent history, and established a new competitive benchmark.
“Despite all the challenges and adversity, Team USA players played with passion, heart and showed class throughout the whole trip,” said Karim Ibrahim, US Squash Director of Junior National Teams. “A special thanks to the U.S. embassy in Santiago and Ambassador Rick Yeneoka for hosting us and for supporting the team on a daily basis. Thank you to the Pan American Squash Federation and the Chilean Squash Federation for the wonderful hospitality.”
The U.S. team was led by Ibrahim and National Coach Nayelly Hernandez Walker.
Hosted on the same courts where the senior U.S. women captured two gold medals at the Pan American Games in 2023, the Pan Am Juniors featured nine medal competitions in singles, team and doubles competitions, including the tournament debut of singles parallel draws for the No. 3 and 4 players on each squad.
The U.S. opened up the tournament with every member of the team earning an individual medal, including a gold and silver sweep of both parallel draws. Reghan McLaughlin and Riva Bhagwati both earned bronze, reaching the semifinals of the women’s main draw. Brendan Tagliarini fulfilled his 3/4 seeding in the men’s main draw, losing out against top seed and gold medalist Juan Irisarri from Colombia. Lars Gertsen earned silver by fulfilling his two seeding and reaching the final with only one game dropped along the way.
Lily Bourell, the one seed, and Ava Lin Jr, the two seed both progressed to the women’s parallel draw final without dropping a game with Bourell claiming the gold. Colten McLaughlin, the one seed, and Rubens Schwarz, the two seed, also reached the final without dropping a game, which Schwarz took on a walkover.
Lin Jr & Bhagwati teamed up as the women’s doubles 3/4 seeds and put together an impressive gold medal run, upsetting Ecuador’s two seeds in the semifinals and clinching gold in a close three game final against Colombia. The historic result marked Team USA’s first women’s doubles gold medal in competition history. Schwarz & Bourell partnered in the Mixed Doubles draw, and added a bronze medal to the U.S. total by reaching the semifinals.
Team USA finished the tournament on a high note by claiming both team gold medals for the second time in tournament history, adding to their team gold medal sweep in 2022. The U.S. women put in a dominant performance, topping their pool and defeating Mexico 3-0 in the semifinals to set up a final against Canada. Bourell and Bhagwati sealed the gold medal for Team USA in the final with two, 3-0 wins.
The U.S. men won their pool and reached the final with a semifinal win over Argentina courtesy of wins from Tagliarini and Gertsen. A dramatic final saw Colombia and the U.S. split the first two matches with Taliarini earning a point, and Schwarz sealing the victory with a 3-1 performance.
View all results on the Individual and Team tournament pages.
