Theo Woodward, the Drexel University Assistant Coach of Men’s and Women’s Squash for the past two years, has been named the Head Coach of Men’s and Women’s Squash at Bowdoin College, according to the college’s press release from May 21.

Prior to his stint at Drexel, Woodward was the assistant coach at Dartmouth College for five years.

With Woodward assisting at the helm, both Dartmouth’s and Drexel’s squash programs showed continued improvement and sustained success. The Drexel Women’s team and Dartmouth Men’s team each earned program-best rankings during Woodward’s tenure.

Along with his college coaching credentials, Woodward also has experience coaching and mentoring professionals and junior international players.

For more information about Woodward’s hire at Bowdoin, please find the press release here.

Wendy Lawrence, the head coach of the George Washington University Men’s and Women’s Squash programs and a veteran leader in the Washington, D.C. and college squash communities, announced her retirement on Tuesday. Lawrence spent the last 12 years as Head Coach at GW, leading the men’s team since 2007 and the women’s team since 2010.

Since her playing days as an undergraduate at Vassar College, Lawrence has been a fixture in squash circles in the United States, influencing players at all levels. Now, over 40 years later, she leaves a legacy that will be remembered and revered for years to come.

Most recently, Lawrence has lead the GW squash teams to program bests for both of the teams and for individuals on each team. In 2019, the men’s program won its second straight Hoehn Cup with two student-athletes, senior Mahmoud Abdel-Maksoud and sophomore Mohammed Al-Terki, earning All-America honors. The GW women reached their highest team ranking of seventh in 2015, one year after their first Kurtz Cup victory. Sophomore Zoe Foo Yuk Han became the highest ranked individual player in GW women’s program history in 2019 when she finished the season ranked 12th.

In addition to her impressive leadership at George Washington, Lawrence also provided crucial guidance to the College Squash Association. For four years from 2013 to 2017, Lawrence filled the critical role of President of the Women’s College Squash Association. Then, in 2017, as the movement to create a single board to oversee college squash took shape, Lawrence took the reins again, stepping into the roles of Board Member, Coaches Advisory Committee leader, and Women’s Subcommittee Chair with aplomb.

“I have been coaching squash for over forty years at the club, high school and now college level and as much as I have loved every year, I feel it is time to pass the torch to another,” Lawrence stated. “I am proud of the work I have been involved with at the CSA over the past six years, and it has been an invaluable experience for me to have gotten to work everyone in the college squash community.”

The George Washington Athletics Department published a glowing tribute to Lawrence on Tuesday written by graduating senior captain Brooke Feldman. The article can be found here. For a comprehensive account of Lawrence’s career and well-deserved accolades, please view her bio on the the GW Athletics website.

Bowdoin College has announced that its Head Men’s and Women’s Squash Coach, Tomas Fortson, has stepped down from his position after 19 years in the role.  Effective at the end of the 2018-2019 academic year, Fortson also vacates his Head Men’s Golf Coach position.

In his almost two decades leading the Bowdoin squash programs, Fortson amassed 210 wins with the women’s team and 197 wins at the helm of the men’s team, making him the winningest coach in both programs’ histories.

Fortson’s teams also brought home several trophies and honors during his tenure, including the 2003 Kurtz Cup for the women, the 2011 Summers Cup for the men, and the 2013 Sloane Award for men’s team sportsmanship. In addition, as a testament to Fortson’s ability to teach and develop players, three of the last six Wetzel Award winners were Bowdoin student-athletes (Michaela Martin, 2014; Zoe Wood, 2018; Natasha Belsky, 2019).

Along with his administration of Bowdoin teams, Fortson also held important leadership roles with the College Squash Association (CSA). Starting in 2013, Fortson held positions on the Men’s CSA Executive Committee until it disbanded at the end of the 2016-2017 academic year. With the reformatted CSA Board, Fortson was Chair of the Men’s Subcommittee for the last two seasons.

“It is impossible to encapsulate everything that nearly 20 years as part of college squash has meant to me,” said Fortson. “It has been a fun and proud 19 years for me as a college coach, and I feel honored to have been part of the first CSA Board.”

Fortson intends to pursue a role as a golf professional in a warmer climate.  Bowdoin will begin a national search for a new coach immediately.  Please view the college’s full press release here.