Squash

Gavin Jones enters his 12th season at the helm of the Franklin & Marshall College squash program for the 2022-23 academic year.

Throughout Jones’ tenure, the men’s side has consistently finished the season ranked among the nation’s best. He guided the team to top-10 finishes in five straight seasons from 2011-15 – ending as high as No. 4 in 2014, which tied for the program’s best finish since 1994. 

His 2019-20 squad garnered a tremendous 20-6 overall record and finished with the nation's No. 13 ranking after F&M accumulated the most victories in the 53-year history of the program - surpassing the 2017-18 team. Jones' tenure with F&M is marked by several historic upsets, including a 7-2 thrashing of No. 3 ranked Princeton at home on Nov. 23, 2013. The victory marked the first win over the Tigers since the 1986-87 season and snapped a 24-match losing streak, its longest such streak against an opponent. 

F&M has garnered six All-America accolades during Jones’ time at the helm.

On the women's side, Jones has helped the Diplomats qualify for the Kurtz Cup (B Division) of the CSA Championships on four occasions, and has seen his team end the 2015-16 year with a No. 14 national ranking – the highest during his tenure. The Diplomats enjoyed a resurgence in 2019-20, tallying 13 victories on the year which was goofd for their highest win total since the 1987-88 season.

Jones was appointed as Franklin & Marshall College’s Director of Squash on June 29, 2011, bringing with him a wealth of professional experience and a background in team squash. 

A world-class squash player, Jones was ranked as high as 37th on the Dunlop/Professional Squash Association’s (PSA) World Rankings during his career. He won three PSA Titles during his time on the circuit as well. 

Jones was the Welsh National Champion in 2005 and 2006 and was a member of the Welsh Commonwealth Team in 2002 and 2004. He was a Silver Medalist in the 1999 World Team Championships and earned five bronze medals in the European Team Championships while representing Wales in more than 70 caps. 

Before his arrival in Lancaster, Jones served as the Squash Pro at The Cynwyd Club in Bala Cynwyd, Pa., beginning in 2007.  In that capacity, Jones had coached dozens of players in the College Squash Association’s (CSA) Top 100 through the years. 

Jones’ background includes more than 20 years of squash playing and coaching experience at various clubs around the world. While squash is often thought of as an individual sport, Jones grew up in a team environment playing for Wales’ National Team. He later assisted the Welsh Boys U19 National Team.