After returning from a hip injury and entering his first university tournament unseeded, Carleton University’s Glen Chamberlain won the Men’s A Division at the 2026 Jester’s Canadian University and College Squash Championships.
The tournament, held at McGill University from Jan. 23-25, featured more than 100 athletes from more than 25 post-secondary institutions.
After a five-match battle, Chamberlain sealed the title with an 11–7 win in the final, capturing the Men’s A Division championship.
“[The win was] something really special I’ll remember for the rest of my life,” he said.
Chamberlain, a human-computer interaction masters student, began playing squash at 15 years old when his dad enrolled him in a junior program at a local club.
After a few years of playing casually, Chamberlain rose to university-level tournaments while completing his undergraduate studies at McGill University.
“Most of my undergrad was just playing squash when I should have been studying,” Chamberlain joked.
He continued playing squash throughout his academic years at McGill, gradually taking the sport more seriously and competitively.
“The atmosphere was great, and I love pushing myself,” he said.
Chamberlain planned to continue playing squash after graduation, but he began experiencing severe back pain, raising concerns about his future in the sport.
He spent two years trying to diagnose the back pain, he said, only to later find he had severe hip problems. Chamberlain underwent two hip surgeries and spent months in rehabilitation after complications with the surgeries.
“I spent a large period of time wondering if I’d ever walk without pain.”
Chamberlain spent a long time in rehabilitation trying to get back to a higher level of squash playing, but still felt mental difficulties holding him back.
“In rehab, you’re often not in a good mood, and you’re dealing with chronic pain every day… [my parents] were there every step of the way for me, and I really owe them so much for getting me through that,” he said.
As he questioned his future in squash, Chamberlain slowly began training again but waited several months before entering any tournaments that were then too physically demanding for his condition.
“In my first tournament back, I lost to a 50-year-old man, which didn’t feel great,” Chamberlain said. “It’s been a difficult transition, but I managed to get my ranking back up to top seven in Ottawa.”
In February 2025, he was able to return to squash but didn’t enter his first tournament until September. The 2026 Jester’s Canadian University and College Squash Championships was the first university tournament Chamberlain had played since graduating from McGill.
Chamberlain headed in as the underdog.
When he woke up the morning of the semi-finals, he felt a shift.
“That was when my mindset changed — maybe I could actually win this tournament.”
“I saw he started to get tired a little bit and mentally, I felt like maybe I was throwing it, and I managed to win that game,” Chamberlain said about Shevkenek during their play.
Later in the day, Chamberlain found out he would play his friend Matthew Wilson from the University of Ottawa.
The two carpooled to Montreal together for the competition, only to find themselves facing each other with the title on the line.
“It was a really cool experience to play him in the final,” Chamberlain noted.
“We play often, so I am kinda familiar with his game,” he added, using that knowledge to his advantage as he went on to beat Wilson and claim the title.
Looking ahead to his squash season, Chamberlain said he would ideally play four or five tournaments before the end of this semester.
Featured image provided by Glen Chamberlain
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