Migyu Kim ’25 plays a backhand shot against Groton.
Girls Squash Co-Captain Migyu Kim ’25 stepped into the role as a Girls Squash Co-Captain last season as a Lower. Leading with passion and dedication, she encourages her teammates to consistently go the extra mile. Through humor and positivity, she has shaped the team into a welcoming and fun community, serving as a role model on and off the court.
After her first experiences playing squash at a young age, Kim quickly fell in love with the sport. She highlighted that through the community and the progressive nature of squash, she has been able to stay passionate.
“Something that definitely kept me going is the people. The squash community is very small and that allows you to build strong relationships with those around you. Squash is also a very rewarding sport and you get to see gradual improvements over time.” said Kim.
Kim noted that she strives to create a strong environment that fosters positivity. Kim emphasized that a team community that values each individual on a personal level is vital to her leadership.
Kim said, “Values are important to the team. I think that the team dynamic and community is the most important for me. I never would want to be a leader that makes people feel like they are only an athlete and only matter for their performance. I just try to make sure that everyone feels included and that there’s fun and we’re making memories together. Just having a really strong team environment that provides comfort and a kind of family is one of the most important things to me as a captain.”
Kim’s involvement and dedication to squash is recognized by her teammates. Evelyn Kung ’26 mentioned that Kim can often be found putting in extra work and encouraging others to do the same.
“Migyu is an amazing athlete. She’s always at practice and if she ever misses, she makes it up with a 6:00 a.m. practice by herself. She’s very fitness intensive and even on off days. She’ll always be around the court, hitting with the boys team, hitting with all of us, and she often runs captains’ practices,” said Kung.
Along with valuing dedication, Kim instills a fun and positive spirit into the team with music and humor. Kim highlighted how impactful a mindset can be while participating in a sport, and how she aims to positively contribute to her teammates’ outlooks.
Kim said, “I encourage my teammates by spreading team spirit. I focus on doing my best to catch up with players individually and reach out to them to make them feel heard. I just like spreading light and fun energy by playing music, cracking jokes. I noticed that if you’re feeling a certain way, that it affects your whole attitude around everything.”
Prisha Shivani ’26 highlighted Kim’s composure, especially in a sport where one must stay focused over long periods of time. She acknowledged Kim’s ability to always remain calm and collected even during intense matches.
Shivani said, “As an athlete I really admire Migyu, because she stays especially calm on [the] court. Squash is a tough sport mentally, and can be frustrating at times since you have to stay in a certain mindset for a long period of time. Migyu always stays composed on court, which is an amazing quality to have.”
Kung noted Kim’s helpful feedback during matches, sharing that she’s always ready with constructive advice. In addition to on the court help, Kung noted that Kim is a role model that teammates look to off the court.
“When we’re not on the court, during team dinner, everyone is always looking to Migyu for help and support. She is always there for us when we need her to be. She’s very supportive to all of us during matches and is right by our courts offering help and advice. This is especially helpful for me because I have only been playing for about a year, so having her there coaching me helps me feel a lot more comfortable,” said Kung.
Shivani noted how Kim always provides reassurance before matches and encourages her teammates to create goals and hone in on specific focuses for their matches. She shared a specific phrase Kim uses before every match that resonated with her.
Shivani said, “Before every match, we usually huddle up as a team. Almost every time without fail, Migyu says, ‘Play squash you are proud of, and leave everything else off court,’ which is very reassuring. This has really stuck with me, and is now usually something I think about going into a match. During warm-ups she also typically urges us to think about one specific thing we would want to focus on in our match, and reminds us of that thing in between games.”
Kim recognized how the team successfully made the jump from Division II to Division I this year. She shared high hopes for the last match of the season, the U.S. High School Championships, in terms of both performance and team bonding.
Kim said, “The team has come a long way. Last year we were Division II and found a lot of success, but now we’ve gone up a Division and had a lot of really great matches against strong schools. This weekend we’re heading to Nationals and are competing against Winsor, who we’ve competed with multiple times this season, so I’d love to upset them in the first round. I have high hopes for Nationals and to make fun memories and do my best to make sure that everyone enjoys the last couple matches and experiences of the season.”
