Playing at number one on the ladder and finishing with a record of two wins and two losses, Senior Lydia Smith took 10th place overall at the New England Interscholastic Squash Tournament this past weekend. Although not a single player on the team finished lower than 15th place, Andover earned a 16th place finish at Interschols. The team spent the entire season preparing for Interschols and getting ready to play its best squash of the year. This past week the girls worked on practicing and fine-tuning their shots with hopes of showing well at the last tournament of the squash season. Although she was happy to do so well in the tournament, Smith said, “Its kind of bittersweet. The team has been really great this year and I am really going to miss these girls.” She continued, “Everyone really played their hearts out this weekend.” Smith was the highest finisher for the girls. This year Choate Rosemary Hall hosted Interschols, bringing together the top 16 squash teams from all around New England. Each player participating in the tournament was guaranteed three matches. This year Andover faced several competitive schools at the tournament, including Exeter, Deerfield, and Hotchkiss. Due to their level of play in earlier matches this season, Andover was placed in the A division. One notable performance of the weekend came from Lauren Wilmarth ’09, who played at the number two position on the ladder and also claimed a 10th place finish overall. She competed against some of the best players in New England, also finishing with a final record of 2-2. Seniors Christine Choi and Nicole Wagner also played intense matches against difficult opponents, both bringing home a 15th place finish overall. Although Captain Carolyn Brown ’09 was still unable to play due to an injury, she was extremely pleased with the team’s performance this past weekend and she was especially proud of Smith and Wilmarth. She said, “Both Lydia and Lauren played really well and the entire team showed a lot of heart. Its a pretty big accomplishment just to make it to the A tournament.” She continued, “It’s really sad that the season has come to an end, and it was also really sad to see the seniors play their last games.” After the tournament, the team elected Kim Kohn ’10 as next year’s captain. Kohn demonstrated both the leadership and abilities on the court to prove that she would be a qualified leader for next year. Smith said, “I am really excited for Kim, and I am confident she is going to do a great job leading the team. This season was really fun experience and I wish the girls the best of luck for next year!”
