For the first time in the 59-year history of the squash program at the University of Rochester, the Yellowjackets have achieved a #1 ranking in the latest College Squash Association (CSA), released on Friday.
 
Rochester achieved the feat by virtue of its win over then top-ranked Trinity College last Saturday, a match which was decided in thrilling 5-4 fashion with a rally in the final match from senior co-captain Ryosei Kobayashi.  That win capped a perfect 3-0 week for UR in which the Yellowjackets also defeated #10 Cornell and #6 Drexel in convincing fashion.
 
UR's previous best ranking in school history was ending the 2015-16 season at #2 in the rankings following a national championship loss to Yale University last February.  The 5-4 defeat to Yale was the first appearance by Rochester in the CSA Potter Cup (A Division) title match in school history.  The week after, Kobayashi reached the CSA Individual Championship final, also a Rochester first, and ended the season as the #2 individual ranked player in the CSA, the highest ever for Yellowjacket.
 
This season, Rochester holds a 7-1 record and has been the #3 team in the rankings up until this point.  Rochester has outscored its opponents by a score of 56-16.
 
Head coach Martin Heath says of the newly minted #1 ranking, "We can now forever say that University of Rochester squash has earned a #1 ranking in College Squash, and nobody can take that away from us.  This is a tremendous accomplishment for our guys."

Rounding out the top-5 teams this week is Trinity at #2, Columbia at #3, Harvard at #4 and Drexel at #5.
 
The top-ranked 'Jackets continue their season tomorrow afternoon with a noon tilt against 4th-ranked Harvard University who comes into the Lyman Squash Center unbeaten at 5-0.