Barbados is set to make a strong push at the 27th Pan American Senior Squash Championships, which will kick off on August 15 and run through August 22 in Asunción, Paraguay. Leading the nation’s contingent is double Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games gold medalist Margot Prow, one of the most decorated squash players in the country’s recent history. The full Barbadian delegation departed the island nation on Thursday ahead of the tournament.
Joining Prow on the women’s side is a roster of accomplished, battle-tested players. Meagan Best, who claimed one gold and one silver medal at the recent CAC Games, brings consistent competitive experience to the squad. She is joined by Eboni Atherley, a multiple-time former Caribbean junior champion who has risen through the regional ranks to earn her spot on the senior national team, and veteran campaigner Rae “Muffin” Stollmeyer, whose on-court leadership will be a key asset for the younger squad members.
On the men’s side, Barbados’s lineup includes three CAC Games bronze medalists: Khamal Cumberbatch, Darien Benn and Shawn Simpson. They will compete alongside rising talent Alex Stewart, who will look to make his mark on the continental stage.
More than 20 national squads from across North, Central and South America and the Caribbean are gathering in Asunción for the championship, which doubles as a qualification event for the 2027 Pan American Games scheduled to take place in Lima, Peru. A total of 11 qualification slots are up for grabs at this tournament, making every match high-stakes for competing nations.
In an interview ahead of the team’s departure, Barbados team manager Don Benn laid out the squad’s clear goals for the competition. First, the team aims to build on the standout performance that Barbadian squash players delivered at the recent CAC Games, carrying that momentum into continental competition. Second, the national program is prioritizing securing qualification spots for both the men’s and women’s squads at the 2027 Pan American Games in Lima.
Benn also shared details on the tournament seeding, noting that both Prow and Best have earned 5/8 seedings in the women’s singles draw. That puts them on track to reach at least the quarterfinals of the singles competition, a baseline the program expects the pair to hit. The women’s draw is headlined by two top-ranked American players: Amanda Sobhy, currently the world’s 10th-ranked women’s singles player, and Marina Stefanoni, who sits at 14th in the global rankings.
For the men’s singles draw, no Barbadian players earned a top 16 seeding. The men’s competition will be led by host nation star Diego Elias of Peru, who is currently ranked third in the world, and Mexico’s Leonel Cardenas, the 14th-ranked men’s player globally. As the tournament gets underway, all eyes will be on the Barbadian squad to see if they can deliver on their qualification goals and upset higher-seeded competitors on the continental stage.