Berkshire School to Host New England Tournament in New 10-Court Facility by Lucia Mulder
photo Berkshire School
Sheffield, Mass. (February 23, 2017)
– The 2017 New England Girls Interscholastic Squash Association
Class B Championship will be held at Berkshire School on February
25-26. The school will host the 16-team tournament in its new 10-court
facility within the newly opened Soffer Athletic Center.
Varsity Girls Coach A.J. Kohlhepp says, “We are very excited to host
the NEISA B tournament this year, the first time Berkshire has ever
been able to do that. We look forward to competing against 15 great
schools and to opening up this sport to people who might not know much
about squash. It’s also a point of pride for our players, who
have earned a chance to represent Berkshire on our own courts and
to share this space with some of our fellow schools in New England.”
Match play in the Soffer Center will run from approximately 10:00
am - 6:00 pm on Saturday and 10:00 am - 4:00 pm on
Sunday. Participating teams include Brooks, Middlesex, Dana Hall, St.
Mark’s, Loomis, Westminster, Kingswood-Oxford, Pomfret, Millbrook,
Buckingham Browne & Nichols, Rye Country Day, King School, Holy
Child, Suffield, and Westover.
On February 18, Berkshire hosted a professional exhibition match
between Canada’s Jonathon Power, former world #1, and Sweden’s Gustav
Detter, former Trinity College national champion, as part of a ceremony
to dedicate spaces within the new building.
“Berkshire is honored to host the girls’ New England squash
championships, yet another exciting moment as we enjoy our first year
in the Soffer Athletic Center,” said Head of School Pieter Mulder. “The
squash center has transformed the experience for our student-athletes,
and we look forward to many other occasions to host future championship
play.”
The Soffer Athletic Center opened its doors in the fall of 2016 and is
home to Berkshire's new squash center, a facility that features 10
international squash courts, athletic training areas, locker rooms and
meeting and office spaces. In addition, the 50,000-square-foot facility
features two basketball and volleyball courts, a dance studio, a
25-foot climbing wall and a fully-equipped weight training area. It was
designed by Moser Pilon Nelson Architects of Wethersfield, Conn.
# # #
Established in 1907, Berkshire School is a co-ed, college preparatory
boarding and day school that prepares 399 ninth-twelfth graders and
post-graduates for a global future. The rigorous academic program of
study consists of 144 classes with an average size of 12 students and a
student-to-faculty ratio of 5:1. Pioneering programs such as Advanced
Math/Science Research, Advanced Humanities Research and Sustainability
and Resource Management co-exist with AP offerings and advanced courses
in all disciplines. With a range of artistic and athletic offerings, it
is an extraordinary setting in which students are encouraged to learn,
in the words of the school motto, “not just for school, but for life.”
