SquashTalk > www.squashtalk.com/college >USA Womens Outlook 2001
SquashTalk Women's US Intercollegiate Outlook, 2001 (updated 12/31/2000 13:46)
SquashTalk College reporting & info:
2000-01 Preview
mens womens
College Features
SquashTalk features, news and information
Latest
news
Tournaments
Global Calendar
Bronstein
Global Gallery
Videos
History
Pakistan Squash
Other
Features
Players
Profiles
Worldwide
Clubs
worldwide
links
Site updated on 12/31/2000
Four Contenders Challenge Pennsylvania
Dec 2000, SquashTalk -- The women's college teams are closely balanced, making a more unpredictable and intriguing title road than on the men's side. Penn, Harvard, Princeton, Trinity and Brown are all closely balanced. On a given afternoon, an entire team match can depend on the play that day of two closely matched women in the final match with the team score at 4-4. Here are the top contenders:
Holleran
Makes a Difference
Demer Holleran, as determined in her coaching as in her competitive career,
quietly built the Penn Team and took home the National Championship in
2000. Demer, a college standout for Princeton, found herself coaching
a team in 1999 playing
for a consolation position, and then found herself unabashedly rooting
for Princeton against Harvard in the finals. "Well I went to Princeton
-- I have to root for them," said Holleran at the time, as she sat
beside legendary women's coach Betty Constable (who coached Holleran at
Princeton).
What a difference a year makes -- in 2000, Penn edged out Princeton and Trinity and earned the national championship -- bringing trophy-starved Penn a championship and its first great trophy since the glory days of Al Malloy.
Can Penn repeat in 2001? On paper they look strong enough, but close 5-4 wins over Brown and Yale in December show that Penn might be vulnerable in February when they face their big three rivals -- Trinity, Harvard and Princeton.
photo: The victorious Penn Team at the Palestra and above right Demer Holleran (caught by Debra Tessier © 2000)
Harvard,
Princeton ...
Princeton earned the #2 spot last year but
has already faltered this year with a surprise
loss to Brown . Of course, this loss was fueled by Princeton's decision
to rest their top four players for the match. At the same time, Julia
Beaver can't do it all on her own. Beaver and Meredith Quick will need
help from the mid and low end of the Princeton lineup in order to make
a serious challenge to Harvard and Penn. Princeton lost mid-lineup stalwart
Jenn Shingleton for the year with an ACL injury suffered during the Brown
match.
Harvard's Satinder Bajwa has quietly been gearing up to bring his Harvard teams back to championship standard. Bajwa rehired assistant coach Mo Ayaz, and the two of them are quietly determined to make waves on the women's side. Look for the Harvard matches against Penn, Trinity, and Princeton to all go down to the wire this year. Harvard earned a #1 pre-season ranking over defending champion Penn. But in the emotions of the dual-matches between Harvard, Princeton, and Penn... anything can happen.
TRINITY
Making a Move on the Distaff Side
Trinity's women team under 17-year coach Wendy Bartlett, has quietly been
moving into the top ranks of the women's game, almost a mirror-image of
their men's team's success. Led by Janine Thompson, who had a win against
Julia Beaver in the mid-winter Princeton tournament last year, and Mollie
Anderson, daughter of former North Amercan #2 Gordie Anderson, Trinity
could pull some surprises this February.
BROWN
- Running on adrenalin
The Brown team, following their great win over Princeton on
Dec 2nd, are running on adrenalin. For them, the sky is the limit, they
feel no pressure, they just believe in themselves now.
Of course, the Princeton
win was scored with Princeton minus their top four players, but still
the va
lue
to Brown's self confidence is immense.
Photos: Trinity's Janine Thompson (Above Right), Trinity 2000 team (Right), courtesy Trinity College Athletics.
