PHILADELPHIA— The College Squash Association (CSA) has announced its annual All-American teams for the 2024-25 season. The University of Pennsylvania squash teams had eight athletes recognized, with four named to the first team and four to the second team.
With five Quakers named to the men's All-American list, the national champions have attained a new program record for the most athletes named with All-American distinction in a single season in program history. On the women's side, three athletes were named to the first and second teams, the most in a single season for the Red and Blue since 2017-18.
Salman Khalil adds another accolade to his growing resume, earning his second first team All-American nod after winning the national individual championship and Ivy League Player of the Year earlier this year. All-Ivy honoree and Pool Trophy finalist Omar Hafez and All-Ivy honoree Nick Spizzirri were also named to the first team.
Marwan Abdelsalam garnered his first All-American honor with his second team distinction, capping off an impressive freshman season that also earned him Ivy League Rookie of the Year and All-Ivy first team recognition. Skillman award finalist Nathan Kueh was also named to the second team, marking the second time in his career that he has garnered All-American recognition.
Malak Khafagy collected her first CSA accolade with her first team All-American honor, closing out a solid freshman year that earned her Ivy League Rookie and Player of the Year. Named to the second team, Sohaila Ismail garnered her second All-American recognition and Franka Vidovic collected her first All-American distinction.
Read the CSA release here!
Khafagy competed in 15 matches in team competition this season, earning a 12-3 overall record and going 5-1 in conference play. Playing every team match in the top spot on the ladder, Khafagy settled into her role with seven of her twelve wins coming in three straight games. While the individual championships were taking place in January, Khafagy competed in the PSA professional tournament happening at the same time in New York City. Her high-caliber play earned her both Ivy League Rookie of the Year and Ivy League Player of the Year as well as unanimous All-Ivy first team distinction earlier this year.
Ismail finished the year 17-3 overall in individual and team competition, earning a 5-1 record in conference play. Competing in the Ramsay Cup (A Division) bracket during the individual championship, Ismail made it to the round of 16 before falling to Cornell's first team All-American Yee Xin Ying. Playing a crucial role in the Quakers' Howe Cup campaign, she earned two wins in the third spot on the ladder to help propel her team to a third-place finish in the team championship. Named to the All-Ivy second team earlier this season, Ismail now adds the title of "two-time All-American" to her impressive resume.
Vidovic competed in 17 matches in individual and team competition this season, earning a 12-5 overall record and going 5-1 in conference play. In her Ramsay Cup (A Division) debut, Vidovic made it to the round of 16 of the individual championship before falling to first team All-American Meagan Best from the University of Virginia. Playing in the second spot on the ladder for most of the season, she collected notable wins over fellow second team All-Americans Emma Trauber (Princeton) in the regular season and Madison Ho (Stanford) in the Howe Cup quarterfinal. In her sophomore season, Vidovic garnered All-Ivy first team recognition ahead of the All-American second team nod.
Hafez competed in 22 matches in individual and team competition this season, going 20-2 overall and 4-1 in Ivy League competition. Reaching the 50th career win milestone during the semifinals of the Potter Cup against Trinity, Hafez finished his junior year sixth on the men's program's all-time wins list with 51 victories. Finishing second in the individual championship earlier this year, Hafez battled Khalil for the Pool Trophy in the first all-Penn final since 1979 and marked the third time two Quakers have met in the final. The former Ivy League Rookie of the Year and two-time All-Ivy athlete can now add "two-time first team All-American" to his resume ahead of his senior season.
Khalil was one of only two athletes on this list to be undefeated in individual and team competition this year, going 21-0 overall and 5-0 in conference play. Winning the first individual championship title for Penn in 46 years, Khalil capped off an unprecedented sophomore season as the first Quaker to ever hoist both the Pool Trophy and the Potter Cup in program history. Over the course of the season, Khalil defeated nine other 2024-25 All-Americans across team and individual competition, including his teammate Hafez (Yale's Tad Carney, Trinity's Joachim Chuah, Harvard's David Costales, Virginia's Karim Elbarbary, Harvard's Neel Joshi, Cornell's Aaron Liang, Drexel's Haris Qasim, and Princeton's Ahmed Wael). Playing in the top spot on the ladder in team competition, eleven of his seventeen wins were three-game sweeps, including his win in the quarterfinal round of the Potter Cup against Columbia. Khalil finishes his sophomore season with his second career first team All-American recognition, joining his unanimous Ivy League Player of the Year award and unanimous All-Ivy first team selection in this year's accolades.
Spizzirri competed in 16 matches across team and individual competition this season, garnering a 14-2 overall record and going undefeated in Ivy League play (6-0). Making it to the Pool Trophy quarterfinals, Spizzirri was one of three Quakers to make it into the top eight athletes in the individual championship. Finishing his career with 58 wins, Spizzirri sits third on the program's all-time wins list. Being named to the All-American first team for the third time in his career, the two-time national champion and three-time conference champion collected his third All-Ivy first team recognition earlier this season.
Abdelsalam finished his rookie campaign undefeated in team competition, collecting 14 wins for the Red and Blue while going 1-1 in his individual championship debut back in January. Named Ivy League Rookie of the Year, Abdelsalam competed primarily in the fourth spot on the ladder for Penn, garnering a 5-0 conference record to earn a spot on the All-Ivy first team. In the Pool Trophy bracket, Abdelsalam made it to the round of 16 before falling to first team All-American and Pool Trophy semifinalist Joachim Chuah (Trinity). Of his 14 wins in team competition, Abdelsalam won eight of them in three straight games, dominating the competition as a freshman.
Kueh closes out his phenomenal career with 67 wins, the most of any player in the history of the men's program. Named a Skillman Award finalist, Kueh competed in 17 matches for the Quakers in his senior season, going undefeated on the year and earning a 6-0 conference record. Competing primarily in the fifth spot on the ladder, Kueh earned 13 three-game wins throughout team competition, the most of anyone on the team this year. He and Hafez played the most team matches (17) of anyone on the roster this year, proving to be one of the most reliable athletes on the championship-winning squad. Kueh closes his incredible career as a former Ivy League Rookie of the Year, a two-time All-Ivy squad member, a three-time conference champion, a two-time national champion, and now a two-time All-American.
The Quakers will return to action in the fall for the 2025-26 season.
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