After an illustrious 40-year career guiding the Trinity College Women’s Squash team, Coach Wendy Bartlett has decided to retire. Her tenure has profoundly shaped the landscape of college squash and influenced countless student-athletes.
“Women’s collegiate squash would look vastly different if not for Wendy‘s leadership over the past 40 years. Since 1985, Wendy has served, almost without interruption, in a leadership capacity on the CSA (formerly the U.S. Women’s Intercollegiate Squash Racquets Association), including as its President, Executive Board Member, and Coach Director. Her fierce and unwavering advocacy for the student-athlete experience and for women’s collegiate athletics more broadly has been invaluable. We are deeply grateful for Wendy‘s dedicated service and the profound impact she has had on the sport we love” Margaret Gerety, CSA Board Chair, shares.
Wendy Bartlett’s journey into racquet sports began with tennis during her youth in Pittsburgh, where she developed a prowess that earned her a collegiate spot at Rollins College in Florida. However, it was the game of squash that ultimately captured her heart, introduced to her by her father—an avid squash enthusiast. This newfound passion took a significant turn when she moved to Connecticut in 1983. Upon attending a vibrant college squash tournament, Wendy experienced an epiphany about her future in coaching, leading her to take up the mantle at Trinity College in 1984.
Bartlett’s 40 years at the helm of the Bantams women’s squash program make her the longest-tenured coach of any sport in the history of Trinity College athletics. Under Bartlett’s leadership, the Trinity Women’s Squash program evolved into a national powerhouse, securing four Howe Cup national team championships in 2002, 2003, 2014, and 2024. Her teams consistently challenged for national titles, making twelve finals appearances over the decades. Bartlett also guided her team to 17 consecutive NESCAC Conference Championships. She was honored as the NESCAC Coach of the Year in 2012-13, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2017-18, and 2022-2023.
Despite her incredible success as a coach, Bartlett reflects with a sense of fulfillment that her “proudest moments have taken place at every Trinity’s commencement ceremony which as a faculty member, I have marched in every year for the past 40 years. To see each player that is graduating, who came into Trinity as a girl, walk across the stage and graduate as a woman fills me with such gratitude. Knowing that being a part the squash program has played such an important role in all the player’s growth and development, has been my greatest achievement.”
Bartlett‘s profound influence on college squash was formally recognized in 2019 with her induction into the CSA Hall of Fame. This honor came as a testament to her enduring legacy, reflecting her commitment to excellence both as a coach and a mentor. She was an Executive Board member of the College Squash Association (CSA) from 2000 to 2018 and was elected to Coaches Advisory Committee on the College Squash Association Board (CSA) in 2019 to 2020.
Her final season in 2024 exemplified Bartlett’s resilience and commitment to her team. When asked what prompted her retirement, Bartlett comments, “I was thinking about retiring last season, so I could move onto the next chapter in my life, but after we lost such a close match in the National Championship finals, I knew that I had to stay another year and to accomplish our team goal of winning a fourth National Championship”.
Despite undergoing knee surgery following a narrowly lost Howe Cup final in 2023, Bartlett returned to coach the Trinity Bantams with renewed determination. The team achieved an undefeated record in regular season play. This momentum ultimately culminated in a triumphant victory at the Howe Cup, where they defeated Princeton in the final. This victory secured Wendy’s fourth Howe Cup Championship, marking a perfect conclusion to her illustrious coaching career.
