Despite key injuries, tough competition and rigorous recruiting standards, the Tufts woman's squash team finished as the No. 16 team in the nation. The mark represents an improvement from a year ago, when the Jumbos came in at the No. 21 slot.
The Jumbos' season got off to a fast start as the team won seven of their first ten matches and seemed to be cruising. The Jumbos ran out of steam towards the end of the season, however, losing their final five matches and seven of their last eight.
Coach Doug Eng, however, does not want people to view the team's season in such a simplistic manner.
"This notion about a fast start is ridiculous. You could artificially have a fast start or fast finish depending on how you set the schedule."
Eng went on to pose a question to sportswriters and fans.
"Boston College basketball started with a great record and now has lost three games," he said. "Does that mean they should be viewed as having just a fast start? Simply put, they just ran into tougher competition."
Tufts indeed faced tougher competition as the season progressed. Its February schedule included Bates and Brown, both top-ten teams. The Jumbos were unable to overcome the talent differential in each match and lost both 9-0.
The Jumbos' competition among nationally-ranked teams ranged from seventh-ranked Brown to the 25th-seeded Wellesley squad, and the Jumbos' record reflected the level of competition they played. The team only captured one victory against a higher-ranked team.
The team earned the opportunity to play in Div. II of the Howe Cup tournament, which consisted of the No. 8 through No. 16 teams in the country. The Jumbos were the eighth seed and missed one final opportunity to improve their ranking as they lost all three matches in the tournament.
Eng was not overly excited about this outcome, but he recognized the improvement from a year ago.
"[It's] not a huge [improvement]," he said. "But it's something the players can be happy about."
For four Jumbos, this season marks the end of their Tufts squash career. Senior co-captains Nicole Arens and Eliza Drachman-Jones both began their careers as freshman and each has been instrumental to their team's success.
"When you think about Nicole and Eliza, what comes to mind is their outstanding dedication, Eng said. "They have believed in this program from day one. Both come from tremendous squash families."
Rounding out the Class of 2005, Rhonda Barkan and Nida Ghouse also played their last squash match as a Jumbo in the Howe Cup tournament. Ghouse has been a member of the woman's squash team for three years, while Barkan departs after two seasons with the Jumbos.
"We are proud of what we accomplished and this year was especially unique because this was the only year in my Tufts career we made the B division," Barkan said.
Although the No. 16 ranking was not as high as Eng would have liked, he was far from disappointed with his team's play, and was extremely happy with certain aspects of the Jumbos' game.
"I thought the players really took my advice to heart. As a coach there are always more ways to improve your techniques, he said. "But lets be realistic, it is a short season and you have to focus on a few things and I feel like we did that successfully."
Working against the Jumbos all season was an assortment of injuries. Sophomore Erica Adler missed most of the season with health-related issues and Ghouse missed several weeks with back problems. These injuries, along with study-abroad absences, made for some uncertainty in the lineup.
"We are always wondering who was going to play," Eng said. "It created a sense of apprehension on the team, but we became hard-headed about it and just found a way to keep going."
Looking ahead to next season, it is anybody's guess as to who will replace the departing seniors. As the Class of 2009 has yet to be notified, much less enrolled, the success of next year's recruiting class is still unknown.
If next year's freshman class is able to fill the spots of the departing seniors, the women's squash team may be able to build on this year's improvement in the rankings with another bump in 2006.
But each new season means the departure of another group, and seniors like Barkan have had to come to grips with that the past couple of weeks.
"I will miss my teammates," she said. "We became extremely close during the course of the season and over our careers."
