Northampton, MA — Some teams would be daunted by the situation facing Smith: only three players from last season will be back, the rest having graduated or are studying abroad. But Smith head coach Tim Bacon remains positive. “Our objectives are exactly the same as every year,” he says. “There is a 100% focus on becoming a better player with correct technique and excellent tactics – only 5-10% of practices consist of boring drills.” Bacon also touts the team’s focus on strength and conditioning. “We did not have a single squash injury of any type last year due to our world class Core Performance based conditioning program, and we are hoping to have a similar result this year.” Competitively, the team is adjusting its expectations. “Key matches will be any of the emerging teams as we will only have three players with squash experience in our line-up: two with one season (11-12 weeks playing) and one with high school experience,” explains Bacon. In the past, Smith has had late-season success with teams of squash novices, so don’t be surprised if a new group of Pioneers makes the E Division interesting.
2012-2013 SEASON RECAP
Season Record: 4-14
Final Ranking: 35
Team Championships: 3rd in the E Division
2013-2014 SEASON PREVIEW
Program Status: Varsity
Head Coach: Tim Bacon
Returning Players from Team Championships: 3. Vivian Lee (2015); 7. Carly Melillo (2016); 9. Jin Lee (2016)
Graduated/Non-Returning Players from 2012-2013 Team Championships: 1. Jacqueline Zhou (2015 – Seven Sisters All-Conference – studying abroad); 2. Eunice Zhao (2013); 4. Szilvi Kiss (2013 – Scholar Athlete); 5. Jana Chan (2015 – studying abroad); 6. Haruka Shimoto (2016 – studying abroad); 8. Dipshika Mahajan (2015 – studying abroad)
Captain: Vivian Lee
Team Goals: Focus on becoming better players with correct technique and excellent tactics; continuing to stay injury free with strength and conditioning
Key Matches: Emerging teams
To read other team previews, please visit the 2013-2014 College Squash Season Previews page.
