December 6, 2012
Ready, set, kill! The Hamilton women’s squash team is back in action for the coming season. Last Saturday, the Continentals coasted to an easy 9-0 victory over Colgate’s team. Each Hamilton woman won her match. According to Captain Claire Corroon ’13, the match didn’t show the “true talent” of the team because Colgate is only a club team and not a varsity sport. While Hamilton is ranked 16th by the College Squash Association, Colgate is ranked 35th. Corroon noted that Lindsay Arader ’16 posted her first collegiate win at the sixth position.
In November, the Continentals lost tough matches against Williams, Cornell and Stanford. These teams are respectively ranked number 10, 6 and 7 nationally. “We got outplayed by them,” said Alexis Lee ’13, noting that Hamilton competes against teams from large universities because there’s only one division for squash due to the small amount of schools that offer a competitive level of the sport.
“We have five girls abroad right now and when they come back, we should be very deep as a team,” said Corroon. She notes that apart from playing competitive matches with rival teams like Mount Holyoke, Franklin & Marshall and George Washington University, the team and Coach Jamie King put a strong emphasis on sportsmanship.
“Sportsmanship is something that is very important to Hamilton’s program and something it has been recognized for many times in the squash community,” said captain Amanda Thorman ’13. In fact, both the Hamilton women’s and men’s squash teams have been honored with sportsmanship awards in the past two years.
Lee explained that sportsmanship is incredibly important in squash because at the collegiate level, athletes serve as the referees for their peers. An observing athlete is designated as the referee and must determine what happens when one squash player gets in the way of his or her opponent. The referee will either grant a “let,” where the point is started over, or a “stroke,” where the point is awarded to the player who was obstructed by the opponent.
Catch the women’s squash team in action on Jan. 26 during the next home game against Franklin & Marshall, a competitive rival. And be on the lookout for the team’s new uniforms. “Now we can dominate on the court in style,” said Corroon, noting that the team is pumped about the clothing change and about performing as a cohesive group this season.
No comments yet.
Comment Guidelines
Please log in to post a comment