New Haven, CT — Kathryn Brummer of Mount Holyoke was named the 2013 Wetzel Award winner.
The Wetzel Award is presented annually to a senior who began playing squash in college and has progressed to a high level of skill, demonstrates sound understanding of the game, and exhibits good sportsmanship and a positive demeanor on the court.
To be eligible for this award, candidates may not have played squash before coming to college, and this limitation includes informal play as well as formal instruction. In essence, a player would not have picked up a squash racquet before coming to college.
Candidates for the award are evaluated by a committee of college coaches. The player who wins the award must show outstanding growth technically as a player (records and results), a sound understanding of the rules of squash, and positive on-court poise and demeanor.
The award is named for former University of Pennsylvania coach Ann Wetzel. During the more than 20 years she coached at the University of Pennsylvania, Wetzel taught hundreds of women the game of squash. Wetzel was inducted into the Women’s College Squash Hall of Fame in 1995 and the U.S. Squash Hall of Fame in 2003.
This year’s award was presented at the Women’s National Team Championships (Howe Cup), which were hosted by Yale University.
Brummer, an accomplished volleyball player, was introduced to squash during her first year at Mount Holyoke. That first season, she compiled a 3-1 record playing at number 8 and number 9 for the Lyons.
By her sophomore season, she had moved up the ladder, dividing her time between number 4 and number 5 for a team that finished twelfth in the nation. She finished above .500 and went 13-12 on the season. During her junior year, she continued to play in the middle of the order and added more career wins to her name, posting a 19-10 individual record.
An injury sidelined Brummer for her senior volleyball season, and she wasn’t back in the Lyons’ squash line-up until January 2013. She closed out her senior season with an 11-6 record, again playing most of her matches at number 5. She went undefeated at the 2013 Women’s National Team Championships and was presented with the Wetzel Award on the last day of the tournament. Several of her teammates from her first season, who had watched her learn the game, came to Yale to watch her receive the award.
Brummer majored in biology and psychology at Mount Holyoke. She took on many leadership roles during her time in South Hadley: she was a two-time captain of both the squash and volleyball teams, the chair of the MHC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and the 2012 Student Leadership and Service Award recipient.
She is the first player from Mount Holyoke to win the Wetzel Award.
