JESSICA DIMAURO: Northern Light

It has nothing to do with NAFTA, but the Penn women's squash team is benefitting from a new import: freshman Jessica DiMauro. The native Canadian is making a mark early in her collegiate career. In fact, she is one of the favorites to win the intercollegiate tournament, and thus the national championship, in March. If the early match record -- 4-0 without losing a single game -- is any indication, DiMauro has a legitimate chance to take that title. Penn's number one player started playing at age 13, when she accompanied her father to his Toronto squash club. Eventually she gave the game a try, and she has not looked back since. Her first big win was the 1992 Canadian under-16 championship in Calgary. That victory earned DiMauro a place on the 1992 Canadian under-19 national squad, meaning she was one of eight players eligible to be chosen for four spots at the next year's World Championships. Her trip to those 1993 World Championships in Malaysia is just one of many instances in which DiMauro has travelled abroad. Her list of foreign locales includes Australia, Great Britain and Singapore. The travel to various competitions cut into attendance at her Catholic high school in suburban Toronto. "My teacher once asked if I was still enrolled in school," DiMauro said sheepishly. She may have missed four full weeks of class this past spring, but her grades could not have suffered too much. When it came time to apply to schools, DiMauro had only Penn, Brown, and Toronto on her list. She chose to be a Quaker partially because of the Hunter Lott tournament, held annually at the Ringe Courts, in which DiMauro first played two years ago. That tourney is the U.S. Open of junior squash, and DiMauro won it twice. "When I came to the first Hunter Lott, I met Demer [Holleran, the Quakers' coach]. I started talking to her. We didn't talk that much that year, since I was a junior in high school," DiMauro said. Eventually, the promising international player was persuaded that Penn was the best place for her. She cites such factors as the cohesion between the men's and women's teams and the opportunity to work with the two Quakers coaches. Both Holleran and men's coach Ned Edwards are accomplished international players. American universities also take sports, squash included, much more seriously than their counterparts to the north. "On the recruit trip, I realized sports was so important here. During one of the team's matches I saw how exciting it was," she said. Now that DiMauro has entrenched herself in the Quakers squad, it is worth considering what makes her so good. She hardly projects the image of a championship athlete off of the court, but once on it she exudes class, frequently dominating the very best that the opposition has to offer. "I think I'm more aggressive than most girls. I change my game more -- play different short shots, be a little risky," DiMauro said. Her teammates think there may be more to it than just strategy. "It's not only being aggressive, it's being a smart player," senior Lissa Hunsicker said. "She anticipates perfectly." Once the team season ends, DiMauro will have the individual championships to concentrate on. Winning a 32-player event will require a superlative effort, even for a favored player. She will need to avoid injuries, which may be her one weakness. Past ailments include a torn quadricep muscle and missing teeth from being on the wrong end of a squash racquet. "She has a very good chance, skill-wise?It's certainly a good goal," Penn coach Holleran said. Before her time at Penn has passed, DiMauro is sure to make many contributions to the women's squash program on the court. But she could make an even bigger one off the court, in the role of unofficial recruiter for the province of Ontario. "There's a girl who applied early this year who's pretty good. I've got another girl coming to Hunter Lott for next year. She's really interested," DiMauro said. Having one of the top young Canadians on the team has put Penn on the map in Canada, to say nothing of the States. Although DiMauro is the best player on the team, she is by no means the only contributing newcomer. Those freshmen are forming the core of the 6-0 squad, and that's what is really exciting. "The team has a lot of spirit -- we do have a shot at finishing in the top five [in the country]. Penn is supposed to make the biggest jump, from ninth to sixth. Instead we could go ninth to third or possibly second," DiMauro said.