Squash recruits add depth

Quality not quantity seemed to be the recruiting theme this year for the Penn squash program. There will be only four new players in the 1995-1996 academic year, but men's coach Ned Edwards and women's coach Demer Holleran said they expect each new recruit to have a significant impact on the team. Three student-athletes will be joining the women's team next fall. One of them, Jessica DiMauro, has already had good luck on the Quaker squash courts. For the last two years, the TOronto native has won the United States Junior National Championships, which are held every year at Penn. "She is the best squash player entering college next year," Holleran said of DiMauro. DiMauro, who attended Father Bressani Catholic, is the Canadian National Junior Squash Champion as well. She has also competed in the Scottish and British opens and will be the top Canadian at the world championships this year. "Jessica is someone who can easily come in and play in the number one or two-position for us," Holleran said. "She is a terrific player who has a great deal of international experience, which is very rare at this level." Another new recruit, Lindsay Moss, was ranked 13th nationally in the under-17 age group in the United States. Moss, who hails from McLean, Virginia, should play in the top half of the Quaker lineup. "She is a strong junior player", Holleran said of Moss. Lindsay has a long reach along with great sense for the game." Joining DiMauro and Moss will be Amanda Bradford of Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania. Bradford earned three letters at the Episcopal Academy. And even though she has been playing squash for only four years, Holleran expects her to break into the bottom half of the varsity lineup next fall. "Amanda has played in some national tournaments, which should give her the experience she needs," Holleran said. The Quakers finished the season ranked ninth nationally with a record of 7-10. Four Penn players were invited to intercollegiates-- the individual championship comprised of the top 64 collegiate squash players in the country. And fortunately, the women' s team will lose only one athlete, senior co-captain Liz Fuss, to graduation. Shamshudden Mistry will be the only new player joining the men' s squash team in the 1995-1996 academic year. . Mistry, from Karachi Pakistan, is a member of his country's national junior team. ""We're excited about him," Edwards said. "He could be a great player. We're looking for him to come in and play at the top of our lineup." The Penn men's squash team finished fourth nationally with a record of 11-5 in a season when they were nominated for the Intercollegiate Squash Sportsmanship Award. The Quakers will lose only two key players,Vayu Garware and second-team All-American Steve Scharff, to graduation. The Red and Blue will retain such standouts as seniors Craig Rappaport and Andrew Braff. Adding Mistry to this lineup should give Penn a formidable rotation.