PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania's head men's squash coach, Gilly Lane C'07, is happy to announce his incoming recruits for the 2023-24 season. Five young men—Varun Chitturi, Salman Khalil, Ben Mathias, Kyle Penman, and Jat Tse—will join the team as freshmen.
 
"We are incredibly excited to welcome five new faces to the program," said Lane, who has been the program's head coach since 2016. "Hailing from four different countries and 3 different continents, this class brings a youthful exuberance along with world class ability. They have the ability to make an immediate impact on the program and have already contributed to our great culture. We cannot wait for the season to begin."
 
Varun Chitturi 
Santa Clara, Calif. | Mission San Jose 
High School: Ranked No. 3 Nationally ... Took 11th place at the 2023 World Junior Open Squash Championship (boys' U-19) … Finished third at the 2023 US Junior National Championship (boys' U-19) ... Won the 2023 Houston Junior Championship Tour (JCT) … Won gold in the USA Computing Olympiad.
 
Personal: Son of Prasad and Vijaya Chitturi … Enrolled in the School of Engineering and Applied Science.
 
Why Penn? "I chose Penn for three simple reasons: The Team. The Campus. The Academics." 
 
 
Salman Khalil 
Cairo, Egypt | B. C. Canadian International School 
High School: World ranking of No. 192.
 
Personal: Son of Samah and Sherif Khalil … Enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences.
 
Why Penn? "I chose Penn because it's one of the few institutions that offers its students the highest level of education while also playing at the highest level of their sport." 
 
 
Ben Mathias 
Greenwich, Conn. | Rye Country Day  
High School: Four-year letter winner in squash, three-year letter winner in soccer ... Was a key member of the NYSAIS squash champions in 2022 and 2023 ... Member of the 2023 US Squash High School National Division 2 champions ... Earned 2022 and 2023 Squash MVP... 2022 and 2023 Fairchester Athletic Association (FAA) All-League... 2022 MVP on soccer team ... Ranked no. 27 USA squash player (boys' U-19) … Four-time US Squash Scholar Athlete recipient ... Volunteer tutor and squash coach at CitySquash, an urban squash program in the Bronx ... National Merit Scholar 2023 ... FAA Scholar Athlete recipient.
 
Personal: Son of Tina and Andrew Mathias … Enrolled in the Wharton School of Business.
 
Why Penn? "Hearing so many good things about Penn from family and friends, I always regarded it highly, and as I began to look at schools the combination of such a strong business program in a school that emphasized interdisciplinary studies as well stood out. Additionally, the incredible squash program and coaches in such a special city like Philly made it the perfect fit." 
 
 
Kyle Penman 
Edinburgh, Scotland | Wallace High School 
High School: International Sports Person of the Year 2021-22 in high school ... Represented Scotland from 2018-22 ... Played on the European Squash Federation (ESF) circuit, winning three ESF tournaments ... Finished third at the British Junior Championships in 2022 ... Four-time Scottish National Champion ... Two-time England Squash Gold Champion ... Ranked No. 1 in Scotland.
 
Personal: Enrolled in the Wharton School of Business.
 
Why Penn? "As a whole, Penn gives me the feeling of a second home. The way that I have been shown around by everyone at Penn makes me feel like I have a second family. Along with the academic side, the facilities that are available to athletes are unlike anything else I've come across. The way everything is always done to a professional standard helped me make an easy decision." 
 
 
Jat Tse 
Kowloon, H.K. | Harrow School (U.K.) 
High School: Finished with a 37-0 record at Harrow School ... Vice-Captain ... Represented Hong Kong at the World Juniors Championships from 2022-23 ... Represented Asian Junior Individuals Championship from 2018-23 ... Competed in the British Junior Open from 2018-22 ... July 2021 Hong Kong Squash Junior Squash Ranking Tournament 1st runner up (boys' U-19) …  November 2019 Hong Kong Junior Squash Championships Champion (boys' U-15) … Junior Squash Open 2020 fifth place finish (boys' U-15) … 2019 Singapore Junior Squash Open champion (boys' U-15) … 2019 first runner up at the Kuala Lumpur Junior Squash Open (boys' U-15) …  Second runner up at the Asian Junior Individual Squash Championships in 2019 (boys' U-15) … Ranked No.8 Asian Junior Ranking (boys' U-19) … Squash Scholar 2021-23.
 
Personal: Son of Tse Cheung Ka Percy and Tin Pik Kwan Tammy ... Enrolled in the School of Engineering and Applied Science.
 
Why Penn? "The vigorous ambience and close brotherly bond drive me to strive for higher achievement in both academics and squash."