In Brad LaDrido’s (‘26) freshman year, the Bishop’s Squash Team had around 15 players. The following year, Brad became captain and his coach tasked him with building the roster. “I put an ad in the daily bulletin, and there were two people who signed up,” Brad said. “I was really sad. I was like, ‘Oh my God, the team’s gonna die because of me.”
After creating an Instagram account and posters, and raising awareness about the program, the team once again expanded to 12 players in Brad’s senior year. After a two-year hiatus, the team competed three times in the SoCal League — which includes schools from Santa Barbara to San Diego — travelling twice to Irvine in November and January before finishing the season at finals at Access Squash Club in San Diego on February 28.
From rapid improvement to a close-knit community, Bishop’s squash’s return to competition is only one part of a broader effort to keep the sport growing on campus. “Our team isn’t winning the tournaments, but I can really tell after each tournament, people are playing a lot better,” Brad noted. He continued that some players who did not win a single set in the first tournament went on to win two or three sets in the second, and by the third tournament, some were winning entire matches. “That’s just been really special to see,” Brad said.
Squash is most commonly a two-player racket sport, in which players take turns hitting a ball against the front wall, losing if the ball bounces twice before the next hit. “It’s pretty fast paced with not a lot of time for breaks, and you’ve gotta keep hitting it until someone [misses]. It’s really just like a game of errors, because if you mess up, then you miss the point,” squash player Luke Zierhut (‘29) explained.
Not only do players have to constantly plan their next shots, but they also have to move around their opponent while trying to hit the ball in the most difficult spot on the court. In fact, Brad noted that squash is “one of the most cardioactive sports.”
A 2024 physiological review found that elite men’s squash can raise players’ average heart rates to 92% of their maximum, reflecting how intense the sport is cardiovascularly. Four-year squash player and team co-captain Ayaan Mahmud (‘27) added, “The ball isn’t bouncy like tennis or racquetball, which makes the game fun because you have to react quickly with less time to hit the ball.”
Although squash can be intense, four-year squash player and Bishop’s squash team member Ivanna Alaniz Nunez (‘29) explained, “Squash is not that hard of a sport to really get into. And once you do, the progress you can make is really rapid.” Samuel Stallings (‘28), who started playing squash six months ago, added, “You may not be amazing at squash on your first go, but over time, you will see drastic improvement if you attend the practices and dedicate some time to play outside of practice.”
For many players, the game is fun because of the balance between fast-moving matches and a supportive community — from their own teammates to the new players they meet at tournaments. Ivanna explained, “If you’re about to play, or people are about to play, it’s super competitive, especially when it goes to the two finals. But if you’re not playing and you’re just meeting people, they’re super friendly.”
“The squash community is pretty small, and especially the Bishop’s Squash team, it’s super small and very tight-knit. Because it’s so small, everyone wants to see each other succeed,” Brad explained.
This supportive culture is evident in the way members of the Bishop’s Squash team celebrate each other’s achievements. One of Ivanna’s favorite memories from the season was seeing Sam place first at a tournament. “It was just so great seeing one of my teammates get first place, and he seemed like he really enjoyed it. I was really proud of him,” Ivanna said.
Sam shared a similar moment of pride when reflecting on Ayaan’s second-place finish in the gold division: “It was awesome to see him play his final match,” Sam said. Luke added, “[Ayaan’s] so good at squash. I think I forgot what he is in the nation, but his rank is up there. That’s probably the team’s best accomplishment: we get to practice with Ayaan.”
Ayaan’s favorite memory also came from the team’s final tournament: “I was very impressed by the level of play and how much fun everyone had on and off the court… We were all cheering for each other through wins and losses.”
“It’s an individual sport, but the community it makes is so great,” Ivanna agreed. Ivanna also competes on a squash team outside of Bishop’s, and explained how it has allowed her to travel and build friendships with players from different places, including the East Coast. “I recently went to a tournament, and I made so many friends by just being there for like three days… I have a lot of friends who are from over there, and it’s just so much fun when we get together, and we play tours,” she explained. “It’s just like a great community that just keeps me playing.”
Similarly, because squash is not a big sport in San Diego, Ayaan has met “many new friends from Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Chicago, and all over the East Coast.” He added, “I see these friends at tournaments and camps… My favorite part about squash is the people you meet while playing.”
Brad explained that because squash has historically been more prominent on the East Coast, the smaller West Coast squash network contributes to the tight-knit community. As a result, many Bishop’s players were introduced to squash from personal connections: Brad began playing in sixth grade after his father introduced him to it, Ayaan joined in seventh grade because his father had also played, Ivanna discovered squash through her mother’s friend, whose daughter played, and Luke’s grandfather had played while living in England.
”For someone considering playing squash next year, I would say just to come to our first practice. [Coach David Norton] will supply you with a nice racket and goggles, and then you’ll be all set,” Sam said. He added, “This year, being new, the team was very accepting of me (even going easy against me during matches), especially at the very beginning. We have a lot of novice players on our team, so new players will thrive at practices.”
Next year, Sam explained, “I hope to recruit more players to the squash team and have a successful season, building on previous skills, to improve my personal game. Now being comfortable with squash, I hope to be a leader to new players, as Brad, Ayaan, and Ivanna were leaders to me this year.”
Ayaan, who will be the team captain next year alongside Ivanna, concluded, “I hope that squash stays at Bishop’s, even after I’m gone, so that more kids can learn to love and play the game as I do. I’m hopeful this can happen, as I believe in the younger players we have to keep the club going strong.”
Brad noted, “Squash is going to appear in the L.A. Olympics 2028. It’s the debut of squash for men and women. So, if you want to be a future Olympian…”
