DiMauro hopes to go out with a title

As a freshman, Jessica DiMauro took the women's squash world by storm, dominating her opponents all the way to the individual national title. With a 21-1 record in 1995-96, DiMauro the freshman appeared poised to dominate the world of women's squash for the next three years. Three years and two near-misses later, however, the Quakers senior co-captain enters this weekend's Intercollegiates at Penn's own Ringe Courts hoping to win that elusive second national title and close her career as a Quaker the same way it began. As a sophomore and junior, DiMauro faced the heightened expectations of being the No. 1 seed and former champion and was unable to capitalize on her opportunities, losing each time to a player she had never lost to before. As the No. 4 seed this year, DiMauro is no longer in the spotlight. Instead, the Toronto native hopes that her squash game will flourish in the more relaxed environment. "I guess going into all three of those tournaments in the past there was a lot of pressure on me," DiMauro said. "This season I've been playing a lot of matches at No. 2 so no one really knows how I'm playing or what to expect from me. "I feel like I just have to keep [my] focus, not panic and play each match as it comes." The road to the championship, however, will not be an easy one for DiMauro. Although she is very confident about her chances, she feels that "any of the top five seeds has a realistic chance to win [the tournament]." According to DiMauro, the competition she faces in this year's bid for the title is much improved from three years ago. "I have a really hard draw this year but the girl that won it last year had the toughest draw of the tournament," DiMauro said. "She was able to keep her head together, and I'm hoping I can too. Maybe it made her that much more prepared." One of those players hoping to thwart DiMauro's bid for a second title is No. 3 seed and fellow Quaker Katie Patrick. All season long these two women have battled back and forth for the No. 1 position on the team ladder -- a position DiMauro owned until this year. If both players can fight their way to the final, the better player will be determined once and for all. "Keeping consistent play throughout the weekend will be my biggest challenge," Patrick said. "It's a long weekend, and you could have six matches [in three days] if you make it to the finals. It is tough to stay focused and keep your energy up with that much squash." DiMauro and Patrick will not be the only ones representing the Quakers at Intercollegiates this weekend. Junior Paige Kollock and sophomores Helen Bamber, Lauren Patrizio and Rina Borromeo join DiMauro and Patrick in the 64-player field. Senior Amanda Bradford also hopes to get in as an alternate, although that will be undetermined until the tournament begins tomorrow. "It's quite amazing we have two players in the top four. I hope they at least live up to their seeding and they both have a good chance to win the whole tournament," Penn coach Demer Holleran said. "The [other players] will have a long tournament with a lot of tough matches. We'll see how well they compete and how they rise to close matches." On Saturday, the second day of competition, Penn officially unveils the new Squash Hall of Fame at Ringe Courts. Only a few feet away, the Quakers will be doing their best to take the attention away from the past and focus it squarely on the present. One Quaker who hopes to return to Penn as a member of the Hall -- with two titles to her name rather than one -- is DiMauro, who is making no secret of the fact that she wants this year's championship badly. "It's probably one of the only things on my mind," DiMauro said. "I've played for the team all year but now I'm playing for myself."