This year, in his first season as coach of the Penn women's squash team, Jack Wyant has a word to describe his strategy: purposeful.
"If we work hard and stick together," Wyant said, "if we are purposeful in the way we practice and compete, then the wins will come."
This confidence should come as no surprise, as Wyant takes over a women's squash program that has enjoyed enormous success in the past. After placing fifth in the nation in 2003, a strong group of experienced upperclassmen, including nine letterwinners, are returning with high hopes for this season.
Wyant himself is no stranger to success on the court. Aside from being an All-American three years and receiving All-Ivy honors all four years at Princeton, he has represented the United States in international tournaments and achieved rankings of No. 3 in the nation and No. 16 in all of North America.
After competing, he took a job as an assistant brand manager for Proctor & Gamble Co. in Cincinnati.
He could not stay away for long.
In 2003, after only four years as a manager, he returned to the squash courts when he accepted the position as head women's squash coach at Milton Academy. There, he led the team to an undefeated season.
This winter marks a new chapter in Wyant's squash career, as he has transitioned smoothly into the world of college coaching
"I feel like things are going well," Wyant said. "The women are working extremely hard. They bring a great attitude to practice every day."
The players seem to have received Wyant with the same acceptance. Penn captains Rohini Gupta and Lorin Riley have been especially instrumental in facilitating this new trust.
"Rohini and I are receptive to him, he is receptive to us," Riley said. "The team has followed in our footsteps and it has been a smooth transition."
Unfortunately, Riley has been unable to compete due to surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Still, Riley "has been putting real effort to make her position as captain as credible as possible," Gupta said.
So the Quakers already face the challenge of competing without one of their captains. In the same season, they must also adjust to a new coaching style.
Wyant is also cognizant of the potential stress created by such a transition year, especially for the captains.
"It's not exactly the easiest thing being captain of a team when you get a new coach," Wyant said. "I give a lot of credit to the captains."
However, with his devotion to the team and outstanding past success as a player, Wyant has certainly made the transition a smooth and easy one.
"He is a really enthusiastic coach," Gupta said. "He is really understanding to our needs as students and has been really patient with us. ... Any issue that comes up, [Riley, Wyant and I] talk about together so no one is ever out of the loop."
"Jack has been overextending himself, making himself available outside of practice time," Riley said.
"He makes an effort to coach people individually even though we are having team practices," Gupta said. "He'll watch everyone on every court and then come on to the court and show them how to improve their game."
Such is the attitude of the Red and Blue's newest member, who will stop at nothing to help each player on his team improve.
"We are looking to maximize the improvement of the team and of each individual member," Wyant said. "What we are all about, and what we are trying to do, is improve."
How is Wyant finding coaching at the collegiate level?
"The setting is different," Wyant said. "Everything about this year is bigger. The stakes are higher, competition is tougher, practices are longer, the talent that I'm working with is better, the girls are older, which isn't better or worse, just different. All these differences are things I've embraced. I love coaching at a college level."
