March 1, 2012
Team chemistry is a crucial facet in the success of a team both on and off the court. In an individual sport like squash, it’s rare to be able to unite a team in such a way. Senior Alyssa Bawden impressively succeeded in such a feat this season.
Bawden effectively bonded the team with the obstacles of a transfer, a January admit, and numerous juniors returning from abroad.
“This was no small task,” commented number one player Amanda Thorman ’13, “considering we went directly into competitive matches in January.”
The team concluded their season this past weekend ranked 16th by the College Squash Association with an overall record of 10-10. The team competed for the Kurtz Cup in the “B” Division at the College Squash Association (CSA) Team Championships played at Harvard University. In the first round matches on Friday, the team took on tenth-ranked Bates. Despite suffering an unfortunate 2-7 loss to a better-seeded team, the Continentals rose to the challenge, as each player held strong in her matches.
The following day, 15th-ranked Hamilton faced Mount Holyoke, who was ranked just one spot higher than the Continentals. Hannah Coffin ’14, Isabelle Weisman ’15 and Elizabeth Morris ’15 each defeated their opponents, however those wins were not enough to defeat Mount Holyoke; Hamilton ultimately lost 3-6.
On Sunday, with two key players absent due to illness, Hamilton was already fighting an uphill battle before their matches even began against Franklin and Marshall. Weisman, Coffin, Katie Rogers ’14, and Claire Corroon ’13 played incredibly tight matches, but in the end, the team was edged 4-5.
This upcoming weekend, Bawden and Coffin will compete in the three-day CSA Individual Championships at Amherst College.
Although the team will watch Bawden and Yoko O’Hara ’12 depart from the Hill after graduation, the team’s forecast is certainly positive. Thorman will continue to hold the top spot in the lineup and all the team’s young stars will be back in full force next season.
Concluding league competition, three Continentals were awarded NESCAC post-season honors. Thorman, Hilary Gray ’15 and Bawden were all selected to the 2012 NESCAC women’s squash all-conference second team.
Thorman played at the top of the lineup throughout the season and was victorious in three of her four matchups against NESCAC opponents. Gray was seeded second, finishing the season with eight wins, six of them in NESCAC matches. Bawden concluded the NESCAC season 13-5, playing 13 of the 17 matches in the fourth position, and finished tied for the most individual wins on the team.