The Wellesley squash team can breathe a huge sigh of relief, and give themselves one giant pat on the back. Squash has been reinstated as a varsity sport at Wellesley, after being stripped of its varsity status after the 2004-2005 season. Squash then became a club sport, but the girls on the team were determined to keep the squad together and with a two–year grant from the Dean of the College, were able to play and travel for the past two seasons. The reinstatement—effective beginning with the 2007-2008 season—came just in time, as there was no longer a reliable source for funding and the team was acquiring money through fundraisers.
One of the reasons squash lost its varsity status was because the school has no regulation courts. However, a partnership with Dana Hall School in Wellesley, which has new regulation courts, will enable the team to practice and compete at the facility.
“The commitment and performance of the squash student-athletes over the past year, our partnership with Dana Hall, and the expressed commitment from alumnae, faculty, and friends to support squash prove that the tradition at Wellesley and within Seven Sisters should be maintained,” said Bridget Belgiovine, Wellesley College’s Director of Athletics and Chair of the Physical Education Department.
For more information on this story, see On Their Own in the January 2007 issue of Squash Magazine.
