Washington, DC — The Colonials of George Washington University have come a long way since they finished 27th in their debut at the 2002-2003 Howe Cup. After making it into the B division last season, GW intends to stay in the hunt for the Kurtz Cup.
The young squad returns all but two players from last year’s team championships roster: number 1 Rachael Rayfield and number 10 Elaine Purcell. Seniors Kate Bullard and Chelsea Mouta, who was interviewed by ESPN this summer about squash at GW, will be the Colonials’ co-captains. Noble and Greenough grad Donna Farizan will join the team and should play in the middle of the ladder.
The team is especially looking forward to playing Bowdoin, Amherst, and Hamilton this year after having competitive matches with all three last season. “Close matches are always fun because the whole ladder is so involved,” says coach Maura Myers. The team also hopes to take a training trip to Stanford this season and has plans to participate in a walk for the American Diabetes Foundation and to continue to volunteer with DC Squash Academy.
Squash at George Washington is on the rise. “I don’t think we realized how phenomenal it is and how great the program has grown,” Mouta said to ESPN of the team’s accomplishments. “We’re just doing what we do every day — two hours of practice and then weekend matches — but we’ve come really far and worked really hard to get to where we are now.”
2008-2009 Season Recap
FINAL RANKING: 15th
NATIONAL TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS: 15th; 7th in Kurtz Cup (B Division)
2009-2010 Season Preview
Returning Players from Team Championships: Kate Bullard ’10 (2); Lauren Mathieu ’12 (3); Tiffany Hingley ’12 (4); Caroline Shumway ’12 (5); Chelsea Mouta ’10 (6); Eliza Ehrlich ’11 (7); Paige Beaton ’12 (8); Kate Gorgi ’12 (9); Mallory Ward ’10 (11); TT Pasanen ’11 (12)
Graduating Players from Team Championships: Rachael Rayfield (1); Elaine Purcell (10)
Additions to 2009-2010 Roster: Donna Farizan (expected to play number 5)
Captains: Chelsea Mouta and Kate Bullard
Team Goals: To stay in the B Division and to continue to improve as a team
Key Matches: Hamilton, Bowdoin, and Amherst
To read other team previews, please visit the 2009 – 2010 College Squash Preview Page.
