Five Freshmen to Join Women's Squash in 2009-10

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Head coach Satinder Bajwa has recently announced the addition of five freshmen players to the Harvard women’s squash team for the upcoming 2009-10 season.

The Crimson, which finished last season ranked No. 2 in the country and was the national finalist, welcomes Eliza Calihan (Rochester, N.Y.), Laura Gemmel (Toronto, Ont.), Natasha Kingshott (Greenwich, Conn.), Sarah Mumanachit (Narbeth, Penn.) and Vidya Rajan (Bellevue, Wash.) to the team.

Harvard returns all 13 members of last year’s squad, which posted a 10-2 overall record and 5-1 mark against Ivy League opponents. The Crimson earned five All-America selections and two All-Ivy nods in 2008-09.

Eliza Calihan, Rochester, N.Y./Brighton
Played soccer and softball at Brighton High School ... Captained soccer and softball teams ... National Merit Scholarship ... Earned the United States Squash Racquets Association Scholar-Athlete Award from 2006-09 ... AP Scholar with Honor ... Dartmouth Book Award ... Recipient of the Rochester Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony Award in 2008 ... Received the Monroe County Executive Community Service Award.

Laura Gemmell, Toronto, Ont./Branksome Hall
Has won 21 national squash championships, including five U.S. Junior Opens and six Canadian Junior Opens ... Claimed the Canada Winter Games gold medal in 2007 and helped Team Ontario win the Canadian Women’s Team Championship in 2006 ... Member of two Canadian National Junior Women’s teams that competed at the World Championships ... Placed third at British Junior Open in 2009 ... Became the first four-time winner of the GU19 junior squash national title in Canada ... Was the first Canadian squash player to be named to three junior national teams.

Natasha Kingshott, Greenwich, Conn./Greenwich Academy
Played squash and lacrosse at Greenwich Academy ... Captained squash team as a senior ... Was the No. 5 player on 2007 and 2009 U.S. Junior national squash teams ... Won the U-17 national squash title in 2006 ... Was ranked in national top 3 of age group from 2003-08 ... Three-time New England champion ... Awarded the DeRoy Scholarship Award by US Squash Association in 2009 ... Two-time All-Fairchester Athletic Association (FAA) selection in squash and earned All-FAA honorable mention in lacrosse in 2008 ... Helped Greenwich Academy win three national, four New England and four FAA titles in squash and one New England and two FAA championships in lacrosse ... Valedictorian ... National Merit finalist ... Recipient of Harvard Book Prize ... Winner of the Princeton Book Award ... City squash volunteer.

Sarah Mumanachit, Narbeth, Pa./Episcopal Academy
Earned eight varsity letters in squash and track & field at Episcopal Academy ... Captained squash team as a senior ... Helped Episcopal Academy win U.S. High School team championship in 2007 ... Member of U.S. Squash Scholar-Athlete team in 2007-08 ... Earned two All-Interacademic team honors in squash and one in track ... Set school records in 100m, 4x100m and 4x400m ... Recognized as Scholar-Athlete by Delaware Country Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame ... Wellesley College Book Award recipient ... Has volunteered for SquashSmarts.

Vidya Rajan, Bellevue, Wash./Lakeside School
Named Seattle Squash Racquets Association Player of the Year in 2007 ... Placed fourth at US Junior Open in 2008 ... Finished fifth at Frank Millet Junior Championship ... Won the US Junior Open and Canadian Junior National Open as U-15 in 2006 ... Has played the violin for the Seattle Youth Symphony and Bellevue Youth Symphony ... Has written and edited for Squash Magazine ... Raised money for Napaloosa Secondary School in Kenya ... Helped Lakeside School finish sixth nationally in Knowledge Masters Open ... National Merit Finalist ... AP Scholar ... Earned Washington state honors for outstanding academic achievement.