Before 1973, there was no national intercollegiate team tournament for women. The only real option for women’s college teams interested in participating in a national tournament was the Howe Cup, an inter-city tournament for women’s teams of all ages. That tournament was named in honor of three influential figures in the history of American women’s squash: Margaret Howe and her twin daughters, Peggy Howe White and Betty Howe Constable. Between them, the Howes won ten national women’s singles titles: Margaret in 1929, 1932, and 1934; Peggy in 1952 and 1953; and Betty in 1950 and from 1956 to 1959. But the Howe family also contributed to the sport as a whole, particularly Betty Howe Constable, who in 1971 became the first head coach of Princeton’s women’s squash team.
During the late 1960s and 1970s, several college teams participated in the inter-city Howe Cup, and by 1972 there were enough teams for a separate college division. College coaches at the tournament that year — among them Betty Howe Constable — decided that college teams needed a national championship of their own. The following year they held a separate national championship tournament for women’s college teams. Margaret Howe donated a hand-engraved silver bowl as the tournament’s permanent trophy, and Betty Howe Constable’s Princeton team won the first title. Not surprisingly, the women’s national intercollegiate team championships became known as the Howe Cup.
The Howe Cup grew as more schools started women’s teams, and it eventually expanded to multiple divisions. In 2001, the four main divisions were named in honor of other influential figures in women’s college squash: Aggie Kurtz (B division), Dale Walker (C division), and Patricia Epps (D division). The A division kept the name “Howe Cup,” and the team that wins the national title still gets to keep the trophy Margaret Howe donated until the next year’s team championships.
HOWE CUP WINNER (COACH):
- 1973: Princeton University (Betty Constable)
- 1974: Princeton University (Betty Constable)
- 1975: Princeton University (Betty Constable)
- 1976: Princeton University (Betty Constable)
- 1977: Yale University (Marion Freeman)
- 1978: Princeton University (Betty Constable)
- 1979: Princeton University (Betty Constable)
- 1980: Princeton University (Betty Constable)
- 1981: Princeton University (Betty Constable)
- 1982: Harvard University (Jack Barnaby)
- 1983: Princeton University (Betty Constable)
- 1984: Princeton University (Betty Constable)
- 1985: Harvard University (Pris Choate)
- 1986: Yale University (Dale Walker)
- 1987: Harvard University (Steve Piltch)
- 1988: Harvard University (Steve Piltch)
- 1989: Princeton University (Betty Constable)
- 1990: Harvard University (Steve Piltch)
- 1991: Princeton University (Betty Constable )
- 1992: Yale University (Dale Walker)
- 1993: Harvard University (Bill Doyle)
- 1994: Harvard University (Bill Doyle)
- 1995: Harvard University (Bill Doyle)
- 1996: Harvard University (Bill Doyle)
- 1997: Harvard University (Bill Doyle)
- 1998: Princeton University (Gail Ramsay)
- 1999: Princeton University (Gail Ramsay)
- 2000: University of Pennsylvania (Demer Holleran)
- 2001: Harvard University (Satinder Bajwa)
- 2002: Trinity College (Wendy Bartlett)
- 2003: Trinity College (Wendy Bartlett)
- 2004: Yale University (Mark Talbott)
- 2005: Yale University (David Talbott)
- 2006: Yale University (David Talbott)
- 2007: Princeton University (Gail Ramsay)
- 2008: Princeton University (Gail Ramsay)
- 2009: Princeton University (Gail Ramsay)
- 2010: Harvard University (Satinder Bajwa)
- 2011: Yale University (David Talbott)
- 2012: Harvard University (Mike Way)
- 2013: Harvard University (Mike Way)
- 2014: Trinity College (Wendy Bartlett)
- 2015: Harvard University (Mike Way)
- 2016: Harvard University (Mike Way)
- 2017: Harvard University (Mike Way)
HOWE CUP WINNING SCHOOL:
- Princeton University (17 – 1973; 1974; 1975; 1976; 1978; 1979; 1980; 1981; 1983; 1984; 1989; 1991; 1998; 1999; 2007; 2008; 2009)
- Harvard University (17 – 1982; 1985; 1987; 1988; 1990; 1993; 1994; 1995; 1996; 1997; 2001; 2010; 2012; 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017)
- Yale University (7 – 1977; 1986; 1992; 2004; 2005; 2006; 2011)
- Trinity College (3 – 2002; 2003; 2014)
- Pennsylvania, University of (1 – 2000)
HOWE CUP BY COACH:
- Betty Constable – Princeton University (12 – 1973; 1974; 1975; 1976; 1978; 1979; 1980; 1981; 1983; 1984; 1989; 1991)
- Bill Doyle – Harvard University (5 – 1993; 1994; 1995; 1996; 1997)
- Gail Ramsay – Princeton University (5 – 1998; 1999; 2007; 2008; 2009)
- Mike Way – Harvard University (5 – 2012; 2013; 2015, 2016, 2017)
- Wendy Bartlett – Trinity College (3 – 2002; 2003; 2014)
- Steve Piltch – Harvard University (3 – 1987; 1988; 1990
- David Talbott – Yale University (3 – 2005; 2006; 2011)
- Satinder Bajwa – Harvard University (2 – 2001; 2010)
- Pris Choate – Harvard University (2 – 1982; 1985)
- Dale Walker – Yale University (2 – 1986; 1992)
- Marion Freeman – Yale University (1 – 1977)
- Demer Holleran – Pennsylvania, University of (1 – 2000)
- Mark Talbott – Yale University (1 – 2004)
