Andrew Cordova, Director of Racquets at the Maryland Club, was honored with the President’s Cup, US Squash’s highest annual award Wednesday, November 4, at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center in Philadelphia.
“He devoted more than three decades to growing the game of squash as a coach, competitor, administrator, official, and mentor,” said Mollie Marcoux Samaan, the chief executive officer of US Squash. “He is one of our best leaders and advocates for the game.”
Anderson Good, US Squash’s Senior Manager of Development & Partnerships, then spoke. “As a member of the Maryland Club, I have seen first-hand how he has built one of the country’s premier squash programs. For the past twenty-seven years, Drew has fostered an environment where players of all ages and abilities can develop their skills and passion for the sport. His leadership has helped elevate the Maryland Club’s reputation as one of the country’s premier squash destinations and a longstanding host of elite professional competition. In 2017 he led the club’s renovation, resulting in the nation’s first three-court facility for doubles.”
Cordova reached No.18 on the pro doubles tour, captured twenty-three open doubles titles, and is a ten-time Maryland State open doubles champion. As a U.S. Squash Level I certified coach, national verifier, and state-level referee, Cordova has made significant contributions to the growth of squash in the United States. Cordova graduated from Fordham in 1993, and coached in Florida and at Baltimore Country Club before joining the Maryland Club in June 2000.
Much of his efforts have been focused on developing the Squash Doubles Association. For over two years he served as its first director of development. His vision and leadership helped establish the foundation for the tour’s current growth and success. The Maryland Club hosts one of the tour’s marquee events, the Maryland Club Open, which features both the men’s and women’s draws. The Maryland Club Open is a multiple-time winner of the SDA Event of the Season Award, as voted on by SDA players.
A passionate advocate for junior squash, Andrew previously served as the president of Maryland Squash from 2010-12, as co-chair of junior development in Florida and as a U.S. junior squad coach, mentoring and developing many of the nation’s top young players. Throughout his career, he has championed opportunities for athletes at every level while fostering a culture of sportsmanship, excellence, and community.
In 2016 he was inducted into the Maryland State Squash Hall of Fame. A group of sixty-three Maryland Club members gave Cordova a standing ovation curtsied as he accepted the President’s Cup from Samaan and Good.
The President’s Cup is the highest individual annual award at US Squash. Treddy Ketcham, a former chair of the board of US Squash and a legendary leader of the game, inaugurated the award in 1966. In the past sixty years, it has been given to those who have made exceptionally substantial, significant and sustained contributions to American squash. Past honorees include Hashim Khan, the global squash star, squash club manager Nancy Cushman, Ned Bigelow, founder of the U.S. Open, Hazel White Jones, Squash News editor and tournament director, Maria Toorpakai Wazir, Pakistani equal rights campaigner, and Linda Robinson, the former US Squash board member. Cordova is the fiftieth recipient of the President’s Cup.
