AMHERST, Mass. – After winning the Walker Cup in 2020, the Amherst College women's squash team returns to the Collegiate Squash Association (CSA) National Collegiate Women's Team Championships this weekend seeking to hoist the Kurtz Cup for the first time in team history. The Mammoths begin their tournament run against Brown University in the quarterfinals on Friday (Feb. 25) at 12:30 p.m. at Harvard University's Murr Center in Boston.

The Kurtz Cup is the CSA's B Division tournament for teams ranked 9th through 16th in the nation. The Mammoths are ranked 14th in the nation, their best ranking entering the tournament since 2011, earning them the sixth seed in the Kurtz Cup draw. When the championships were last played in 2020, the Mammoths won the Walker Cup, the C Division tournament for teams ranked 17th through 24th. Reigning Kurtz Cup champion Virginia is in the A Division this year and Cornell is the top seed in this year's bracket.

The Mammoths enter the tournament with a 10-6 record after finishing fourth at the NESCAC Tournament and will face a Brown squad that carries a 7-4 mark. The Bears are ranked 11th in the nation and are the third seed in the Kurtz Cup after finishing fourth in the 2020 Kurtz Cup. Amherst and Brown have not met this season but the Bears have earned wins against the Mammoths in each of the previous four seasons.

The Mammoths' lineup features junior Daksha Pathak at the top of the ladder. Sophomore Callie DeLalio has a record of 12-4 this season while her sister Tana DeLalio and junior Lauren Weil each carry 10-6 records. Senior captains Lilly Soroko and Keeley Osborn have each won nine matches this season. First-year Isabelle Tilney-Sandberg has gone 7-6 and sophomore Maggie Pearson is 8-7 as they embark on their first trip to nationals.

After Friday's quarterfinal match, the Mammoths will face either second-seeded Dartmouth or seventh-seeded Bates on Saturday, with the winners meeting in the semifinals and the losers meeting in the consolation bracket. Final placements will be decided on Sunday with the championship match at 11:30 a.m. and consolations to follow as each team will play all three days this weekend. Live results will be available for all matches and live video will be available for select matches. Amherst's quarterfinal matchup on Friday will be played on non-televised courts.