Mike Way, a professional coach for more than 30 years and one of the best teachers of the game in the world, was hired as Harvard's Gregory Lee ’87 and Russell Ball ’88 Endowed Coach for Squash at Harvard University on Aug. 9, 2010. The 2024-25 campaign marked his 15th at the helm of the Crimson squash program. Between the men's and women's teams, Way has amassed 386 total wins in his illustrious coaching career in Cambridge.
The 2024-25 season ended in yet another Ivy League Championships for the women's team, who posted a perfect 6-0 record in conference play. Way and his staff were awarded the Ivy League's Coaching Staff of the Year honor after guiding the Crimson to its ninth consecutive Ivy League crown. The women's team posted a record of 13-2 on the year and finished as the runner-up at the CSA National Championships while the men secure 10 wins and finished sixth at the National tournament. A combined seven student-athletes took home All-America and All-Ivy honors after enjoying success under Way in the 2024-25 campaign.
For the ninth consecutive season in 2023-24, Way earned the Ivy League Women's Squash Coach of the Year award by leading his team to an undefeated 6-0 mark in conference play and the program's eighth consecutive Ivy League Championship. The group finished as semifinalists at the CSA Team National Championships, completing the season with an 11-2 overall record. Individually, Way mentored three CSA All-Americans - Saran Nghiem '26, Marina Stefanoni '24 and Lucie Stefanoni '27 - and four All-Ivy League team selections. Nghiem and Marina Stefanoni also squared off in the finals at the CSA Individual National Championships, where Nghiem emerged victorious to claim the Ramsay Cup and the title of Individual National Champion.
On the men's side, Way's group posted a 12-4 record on its way to a fifth place finish at the CSA Team National Championships. David Costales '26 made great strides in his sophomore season under Way, earning First-Team All-American honors while his teammate, Omar Azzam '27 earned All-Ivy League Team consideration.
In September of 2023, Way added The Ragatz Family Harvard Coach of Excellence to his title for helping the Crimson women's squash program reach unprecedented heights.
Following a historic women's squash season in 2022-23, Way is a first-time Ragatz Family Harvard Coach of Excellence honoree having previously received the Herscot award. Way guided the program to its eighth straight Howe Cup and team national championship in 2022-23, where Harvard upset No. 1 Trinity in the finals to capture the title. His team also secured its CSA record 100th consecutive win and posted a 14-1 record overall en route to its seventh straight Ivy League title. Way was once again named Ivy League Coach of the Year, a perennial recognition he has received for the last seven years. Three players made the All-Ivy League first team under Way's direction, with his Crimson athletes individually posting a 104-30 mark for the season.
Harvard Men's Squash had another remarkable season by going 17-0 and never wavering from their spot atop college squash. With Way's guidance, the Crimson won their first Ivy title since 2020 and captured their fourth straight CSA Team National Championship. The hallmark of the Crimson regular season came in their matchup against No. 2 Penn. Narrowly beating Harvard last year to claim the Ivy League title, the Crimson looked to reverse the result this year on their home court. With their backs against the wall, down 4-3 and down in the two remaining matches, Harvard stormed from behind to defeat Penn and ultimately win the Ivy League Championship. The gritty win over Penn ultimately set the tone for the rest of the season as the men when on to claim their fourth straight CSA Team National title. Way earned another Ivy League Coach of the Year distinction on the men's side while two of his players earned All-Ivy League honors. Senior captain, Marwan Tarek, also was honored with the Skillman Award from the CSA in 2023.
Way's teams continued their excellence during the 2021-22 season with both the men's and women's programs winning CSA National Championships. The victories marked Way's fourth National title with the men and ninth with the women. Victor Crouin also won the Individual Championship National Championship, the sixth men's player to earn the title during Way's tenure. Way coached a total of seven All-Americans this season, including six first-team honorees. He was honored as the Ivy League Coach of the Year on the women's side for the seventh consecutive year after guiding the Crimson to a 15-0 record, a mark which extends the program's win streak to 98 matches. Way also reached the 150-win threshold for his career with both the men's and women's teams during the 2021-22 campaign.
The 2020-21 season was canceled by the Ivy League due to COVID-19.
The 2019-20 season was another triumphant campaign for Way and the Crimson. He led Harvard to an undefeated regular season and its second straight Ivy League Championship with a 14-0 record and a combined individual mark of 146-5. The season-long effort earned Way the Ivy League’s Coach of the Year Award in both the men’s and women’s divisions. Way went on to lead Harvard to back-to-back Potter Cups at the CSA National Championships, the 27th title in program history. The Crimson also swept the individual national championships with Marwan Tarek and Gina Kennedy bringing home the hardware. Way and his staff also coached 10 players to All-America selections, and nearly every award the Ivy League has to offer. Kennedy and Victor Crouin were named the Ivy Players of the Year, while eight athletes landed on the All-Ivy League First Team. Way also etched his name into the squash history books on the women’s side, coaching the team to its sixth straight Howe Cup and an active 83-match win streak, both of which are CSA records.
Way added to his plethora of trophies at Harvard in the 2018-19 season. The Crimson men and women finished both of their respective seasons undefeated, each picking up Ivy League championships. Both teams went on to win national championships. Way earned Ivy coach-of-the-year recognition with the women, while Sabrina Sobhy won the Ivy League Player of the Year Award. Victor Crouin, meanwhile, was named Ivy League Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year on the men's side. With the women, Way finished the dual season by extending their winning streak to 65-consecutive match victories, dating back to the 2014-15 season.
Three more trophies were added to the Harvard showcase after the 2017-18 season. The Crimson women completed a third straight undefeated season, capturing the Howe Cup and Ivy League title, and men's captain David Ryan brought home the Pool Trophy after delivering a series of dramatic upsets to complete a Cinderella story.
Way coached several players of the Professional Squash Association, including world champions Jonathan Power and Sarah Fitzgerald. In addition, Way guided Graham Ryding to three Canadian titles, Shahier Razik to four Canadian championships, and Marine Baizley and Melanie Jans to six Canadian national titles between them. His junior program in Canada amassed over a 100 national titles during his time.
Some of Harvard’s graduates have gone on to compete on the world professional tour, notably Ali Farag and Amanda Sobhy. Farag ’14, who won two national individual titles, was ranked No. 1 in the world and was a world champion. Amanda Sobhy ’15, meanwhile, won four national individual titles and is consistently a world top-10 player.
Way has been a frequent guest speaker at coaching conferences held by the World Squash Federation and both the Canadian and U.S. Squash Associations.
A native of England, his formative squash years were in Nottingham where he won a state championship and helped his team to the finals of the national team championships. After moving to Canada in 1981, he worked his way onto the national squad and helped the Canadian team win the Pan American squash championships in 1985.
"My real strength in the sport of squash has clearly been from the coaching perspective. I have been a sponge for everything and anything in order to be more effective," Way said. "I pride myself on taking pains to really understand the needs and personality of the individual. My passion for squash is as strong as ever. I'm still learning and that makes the difference.”
