W. Squash imports another superfrosh

Graduating four of the top nine players after last season's unprecedented success, it seemed impossible that the Penn women's squash team would be in contention for the national title. Enter Katie Patrick. Filling the space left by last year's captain and No. 2 player, Lissa Hunsicker, Patrick has stepped into the spotlight and given the Quakers an extra boost in their competitions. In only a couple of months, the top-ranked North American women's junior (18-and-under) player has enjoyed great success at the collegiate level. Patrick, a native of Edmonton, Alberta, has played competitive squash since she was eight. After being taught how to play the game by her father, she came under the tutelage of a local coach, Robin Prentice. An athlete by nature, Patrick devotes herself to solely competing in squash, but she still participates in tennis, golf, and snowboarding. Last year, Patrick won both the Canadian Junior Open and the United States Junior Open tournaments. In addition, she will be join the Canadian national women's junior team this summer, as she will compete in the World Cup which takes place in Brazil. She hopes to better her placing from two years ago when she finished in the top 32. Currently the No. 10 woman Canadian squash player, her highest goal -- besides winning the Intercollegiate Championships -- is competing in the Olympics if squash is ever made an Olympic sport. Patrick became interested in the school her senior year while playing in the U.S. national tournament hosted by Penn. With aspirations in business, Patrick was turned on to Penn after learning about the Wharton School, to which she was accepted early. After being mentioned in Penn president Judith Rodin's address to the Class of 2000, Patrick feels confident in her decision to come to West Philly. Penn head coach Demer Holleran was overjoyed when she heard about Patrick's decision to come to Penn. After learning about her through sophomore Jessica DiMauro, another Canadian, Holleran was confident that Patrick's would be a big contribution to the team, giving her the distinction of being the Quakers squash program's second-best recruit ever. "She works quite hard," Holleran said. "She had a good work ethic. She is strong physically and really pushes herself. She is a good leader and makes an effort with her teammates." In only two months, the women's squash collegiate community has felt the presence of Patrick. She has been victorious in all of her dual matches, which include Franklin & Marshall, Yale and Brown. Her straight set victory against her opponent from Yale was crucial, as Penn won 5-4. "The most memorable experience I have had was when we beat Yale," Patrick said. "I played well, but I think it was more important that the whole team played well. We had lost to them in the preseason, 6-3. It was a good win." During the break, Patrick participated in the Constable Invitation, held at Princeton, which featured the top 20 women's collegiate squash players. In playing her best match of the season, Patrick defeated Brown's top player, Devon Kennedy, 3-1. This led to her fifth-place finish, as she lost to the No. 1 from Yale, Ivy Pochoda. "Earlier in the year, she was not pushing herself quite as hard as she had to," Holleran said. "She played in the Constable Invitational a couple weeks ago and really pushed herself hard, ran well, and played to her potential. The match with Kennedy was her most impressive match this season." Patrick feels Holleran has improved her game by pushing her and working with her on the court. Although she had played squash for many years, Patrick feels that playing in college has changed her game. "I think it has changed a lot," Patrick said. "In juniors, I would have one or two tough matches every year. Here you have to be ready for almost match, because the players are at a higher level. It has improved my mental focus." With the opportunity of playing at the No. 1 seed at most other universities, Patrick enjoys playing behind teammate DiMauro, the top intercollegiate player. DiMauro enjoys being on the team with Patrick and also feels that competing with her during practice helps both of their games. "It is good to have someone who can do the drills and push me," DiMauro said. "She is a freshman, but you would never know it. She is more vocal than most of the people on the team. She adds a lot to the team. When we travel, she is a lot of fun. She is serious when she has to be, but also she can be a lot of fun." Patrick attributes her aggressive style to having to play against men as she grew up while crediting her success to her superior fitness and placement strategy. Holleran believes her strengths include her strong ground strokes and volleys, but she lacks in shot making ability and needs to be more focused in the matches. Off the court, Patrick is respected by many of her teammates, not only for her ability, but also for her demeanor. "She has a strong personality," freshman Paige Kollock said. "She is willful and determined. It shows in her game. Her attitude on and off the court are the same." With her new responsibility, Patrick hopes to respond well in the team's upcoming Ivy League matches against Harvard, Princeton and Dartmouth. Patrick knows the team is capable of improving on last year's third-place finish in the Ivy League. Patrick spends a lot of her time preparing for the WISRA's which take place next month. After finishing well at the Constable invite, Patrick hopes she can finish in the top three, while hoping to again improve her team's overall ranking of third. "Since our team is made up of mostly freshmen and sophomores, we will be strong in the future," Patrick said. "It is a young team, so we have lots of time for improvement. I think we have some good recruits coming in next year, too. In my junior and senior year, I think we have a shot at being No. 1."

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