Today we’d like to introduce you to Dylan Cunningham.
Hi Dylan, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’ve been playing squash since I was six years old. I played at Franklin and Marshall College (’15) collegiately and then played professional for 4 years, reaching as high as 93 in the world. After pro squash, I worked at University of Pennsylvania for 2 years and Drexel University for 5 years as an assistant coach for the men’s and women’s teams. In 2023, I was approached about a job at MBA to start a squash program from scratch after they built some of the first courts in Nashville. I jumped over this opportunity for three reasons. Nashville seemed like an incredible city, I loved the MBA community and their overall goals, and I thought starting a squash program from scratch was an incredible challenge worth taking on.
In 2024, we had the opportunity to bring professional squash to Nashville through the National Squash League. We were the second team to sign on to the project and it’s been a massive success in Nashville and at MBA.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
With the amount of excitement around squash it has been a relatively smooth road. We have hosted 3 professional matches to packed crowds. In addition, the MBA boys have loved the squash program with nearly 100 kids playing squash as part of one of the many team seasons we offer throughout the year. We also offer youth clinics to aspiring squash players aged 5-13 and they have been extremely successful.
The biggest and maybe only challenge has been court time. We have 3 courts at MBA and it’s not a public facility. However, with how excited our youth and adults are about squash, they are keen to get on court. Outdoor courts or a public facility would be a tremendous boost to the game in Nashville.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I coach squash and teach history at MBA, I was brought down here to build the squash program from scratch, so I would say that’s my specialty. I have over 25 years of experience playing and/or coaching squash. I am probably most known for my strong emphasis on building strong relationships with those I coach. I was lucky enough to have my boss at Drexel University, John White, not only be a great mentor but also a great friend. He taught me early on coaching isn’t always about the technical aspect, it’s about relationships and supporting those on their journey. And squash/sport is and should always be about having fun! I owe him a lot for that, I wouldn’t have the early success in Nashville without his tutelage. Through his lens at Drexel we finished 2nd in the country for women and 4th in the country for men. I’m still close with several of those players and help coach a professional female and male player who are doing quite well. At MBA, using this framework, I have far exceeded even my generous estimate of having 30 players by year two, with 98 boys playing squash this last year, not including the regular youth clinic attendees.
In addition, we have been lucky enough to have professional squash showcased through the NSL in Nashville. Our community has witnessed several top-50 players and some top-10 players in the world competing at their best. This has been special for me to have our community exposed to this elite level and they all have come away massively inspired by the ability on the court and the class character the professionals showcase off the court.
We have our own goals for growth at MBA that we are tracking along nicely. My goals for squash in Nashville are quite ambitious to get more of the public playing by building courts, a field of dreams type dream. It’s a fun and lifelong game that is just waiting to boom in Nashville. I even think Nashville could be a hub of squash within a decade with how many young kids and young adults who are moving here looking for sport or activity.
My most proud moments are always the moments of my students success. Seeing them achieve something they didn’t think possible or overcoming obstacles brings me the most joy. I have some stories but they all seem to require too many characters! Happy to chat about some of these.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Enthusiasm. I love squash and I love coaching. I love watching the students progress from making their first contact all the way to tediously tweaking technical aspects for the top pros to unlock another small percent of accuracy or depth.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.montgomerybell.edu/
- Instagram: mbasquash
