TEAM OF THE YEAR: Women’s Squash at Its Very Best

In the world of sports, it’s probably fair to conclude that squash is not one of the most widely known games.

But with its dominating performance this season, the Harvard women’s squash team is chipping away at the status quo.

“We had set ourselves the goal of winning nationals and the Ivy League title,” freshman Natasha Kingshott said. “We knew we had a strong team, but we didn’t want to be complacent. We knew other schools were training hard, and we had to match them...We knew if we put the effort in we would be successful.”

Kingshott was right—the squad’s campaign was nearly flawless.

The Crimson played a perfect season, winning all 12 of its matches en route to claiming its 17th Ivy League title, 11th Barhite Award (given for the best dual record nationally), and 12th national championship.

10 of the 15 athletes posted undefeated records, and not a single match was dropped at the No. 1, 5, 7, 8, or 9 positions.

The crew entered the season ranked No. 2, but after blanking its first four opponents, Harvard slid into the top slot. The team did not relinquish the position for the rest of the season.

“We have one of the most mentally tough teams out there,” co-captain Johanna Snyder said prior to nationals in February. “We go out there, and we give it our all.”

This mentality was undoubtedly a huge asset in the group’s third match against Dartmouth. Shouting malicious and chauvinistic jabs, the Big Green fans berated the Crimson athletes. The behavior even elicited an apology from Dartmouth president Jim Yong Kim to Harvard president Drew Gilpin Faust.

But the Crimson brushed the attacks aside.

“When we walked into different venues, we were always classy,” co-captain Katherine O’Donnell said. “We faced a lot of adversity with fans and other situations, but we did a good job of staying classy, and it made me proud to be part of a team like that.”

In its fifth match, the squad had to again prepare itself mentally for the toughest competition yet against Trinity. Down in Hartford, Conn., the team pulled out a grueling 7-2 victory.

“They have a very strong roster with a lot of international players,” Kingshott said of the Bantams. “It was one of our first tight contests...It got us rolling for the latter half of the season, where we faced a lot of tough competition.”

In the second half of the season, Harvard’s opponents all occupied the top 10 of the national rankings—stiff competition, no doubt. The most anticipated matchup, though, was the one against Princeton.

“They beat us in the national final last year [5-4], and nobody on the team had ever beaten Princeton,” freshman Laura Gemmell said.

Victory was that much sweeter, then, when the Crimson finally defeated the Tigers, 6-3.

“It was a really intense, tough game that we needed to get through,” Snyder said. “But we knew we had the skill, the talent, the team, and the heart to do it.”

Later at the CSA National Championships in New Haven, Conn., the team entered with a 9-0 record and a target on its back as the top seed. Over the weekend, Harvard beat Williams, Yale, and finally Penn to win the national title amidst excitement and tears.

“The reason that we were so successful is that people on our team work harder than the competition,” Gemmell said. “Everyone is giving 110 percent every time.”

The squad also sent nine women—over half of the team—to the CSA Individual National Championships the following weekend.

There, Gemmell became the 11th Crimson athlete to win the Ramsay Cup, earning the title of national champion in the A division. Playing alongside her in the same bracket was Snyder, who made it to the quarterfinals.

In the B division, O’Donnell, like Snyder, concluded her collegiate squash career with a strong performance. O’Donnell won the division title, earning her the Holleran Cup.

Yet the team’s successes extend far beyond the postseason. Since nationals, many of the players have garnered numerous accolades and awards.

Gemmell was named to the CSA All-American First Team, and four of her teammates were tabbed for the second team: Snyder, junior Alisha Mashruwala (her third selection), sophomore Nirasha Guruge (her second selection), and junior June Tiong.

In addition, Gemmell and Guruge were named to the All-Ivy League team. The selection marks the second time for Guruge. Gemmell was also named the Ivy League Rookie and Player of the Year.

With such a young group of talent, the team is absolutely a strong contender to capture the national title once again.

—Staff writer Molly E. Kelly can be reached at mkelly@college.harvard.edu.