Updated July 2025
Thierry Lincou enters his 12th year as the head coach of MIT’s squash team in 2025-26 after leading the Engineers to their highest national ranking of 14th during the 2021-22 season. In 12 years at MIT, Lincou has guided the squash program to an overall record of 137-94 and 10 appearances in the CSA Team National Championship tournament. Additionally, Lincou has had 17 of his student-athletes qualify for the CSA Individual National Championship.
MIT made it to the Hoehn Cup Consolation Final of the CSA Team Championships in 2024-25 after posting a 10-11 record. Seven of the Engineers 10 victories came against ranked opponenents.
In the 2023-24 season the Engineers reached the semifinals of the CSC Hoehn Cup B Division for the first time in program history. Additionally, the Engineers were awarded the Sloane Award for Sportsmanship for the second time in program history.
MIT defeated Hobart 5-4 in the consolation finals of the CSA Summers Cup in the 2022-23 season while first-year Hyun Su Price competed iin the CSA Individual Championships. Tom Hogan, Nikhil Kakarla, Eli Kramer and Collin Wen were named MASC All-Academic and Hogan, Kramer and Hyun Su Price earned MASC Second Team All-Conference honors.
2018 was a historic year for Lincou and the MIT squash program as the team took home the Summers Cup National Championship title and finished the year ranked No. 17, the highest in 20 seasons. In the Summers Cup bracket, MIT topped No. 21 Bates, No. 17 Williams and No. 19 Brown to win the championship. At the conclusion of the season, MIT was named as the Nation's Most Improved Team and also earned the College Squash Association's Sloane Award for Sportsmanship, which is voted on and selected by coaches from institutions across the collegiate level and is named after former Williams College coach Sean Sloane as MIT became the tenth Division III program to earn the award since 2006. Lincou and the Engineers followed up this performance in 2019 by qualifying for the "B" Division Hoehn Cup and finishing the season ranked 16th in the nation, the highest mark for MIT since 1999-2000.
Lincou guided the Engineers to one of their best seasons in program history with an overall record of 19-5 in 2016-17 and concluded the year ranked No. 21 in the country - the highest for the team since the 2003-04 season. MIT finished the season by winning twice in the Division C Summers Cup and had a student-athlete qualify for the individual national championship for the 14th time in program history.
In 2015-16, MIT had two student-athletes represented at the CSA Individual National Championship and finished the year ranked No. 26 in the country after producing a mark of 18-9 overall. He brings over 30 years of experience to the Engineers’ program, including playing as a professional from 1994-2012 on the Professional Squash Association World Tour.
In 2004, Lincou became the first player from a non-Commonwealth country to reach World #1 and held the ranking throughout 2004-05. He also won the Individual World Championship in Qatar in 2004, was the European Champion in 2009 and 2010, and was the World University Champion in 1998 and 2000. Lincou was also the captain of the French National Squash team, winning a silver medal twice and bronze once.
When Lincou is not coaching at MIT, he serves as as the National Coach for Team USA and has helped assistant coach Amanda Sobhy earn six gold medals at the Pan American Games since 2016. Sobhy is ranked No. 1 in the United States and in ranked in the top-8 in the world. He has also coached Ramy Ashour, who was the World No. 1 and World Champion in 2013. Lincou has also served as the Ambassador for the Olympic Bid for the Inclusion of Squash into the Olympic Games as he presented to the International Olympic Committee in June of 2009.
Lincou is highly regarded in the squash world as he was ranked No. 1 in 2004-05. He also claimed the World Championship in Qatar in 2004, the European Championship in 2009 and 2010 and was an 11-time French National Champion.
Prior to arriving at MIT, Lincou organized tournaments in France and on Reunion Island, as well as organizing training camps in Geneva, New York, Boston, Hong Kong, and Israel. Since 2001, he has worked with Tecnifibre Brand, a company that makes squash equipment, and has managed the Tecnifibre international junior program since 2010.
