PRINCETON UNIVERSITY

Women's Squash History

Squash was one of the original women's varsity sports introduced at Princeton in the 1971-72 academic year. The women's teams were coached from that first season until 1990-91 by six-time national champion Betty Constable, who retired with a 117-16 coaching record. Constable was responsible for establishing the collegiate division of the Howe Cup, a trophy that was originally awarded in 1928 and named for the leading family in women's squash - Margaret Howe and her twin daughters, Peggy and Betty (Betty Howe Constable).

Five women have won a total of nine Women's Intercollegiate Squash Racquets Association individual championships: Wendy Zaharko '75 and Demer Holleran '89 each won three, while Nancy Gengler '80, Katherine Johnson '97 and Julia Beaver '01 each have one.

In 1998 Beaver became the first women's squash player in Ivy League history to win the Player and Rookie of the Year awards in the same season. She repeated as the league's Player of the Year in 1999, joining Johnson as Princeton's only two-time honorees. Old Nassau boasts eight four-time All-Ivy selections: Patrice McConnell '84, Holleran, Mary Foulk '91, Hope McKay '92, Jen Ross '92, Johnson, Missy Wyant '98 and Elise O'Connell '99.

In addition to an impressive .868 winning percentage in dual meets, the Tigers have won 84 percent of their Howe Cup matches and have captured 14 of 26 Howe Cup titles. Princeton also won Ivy League championships in 1989, 1991, and 1998.