From the Washington Post:
… This fall, [George Washington University] became the first school in the country to offer scholarships to squash players, cementing its commitment to a sport that has been played at the collegiate level since 1931 but has just recently become more popular on college campuses.
… GW, one of four non-Ivy Division I squash programs, recognized the academic value of squash student-athletes to the school, too. In the seven years of existence, the men’s team has won the athletic department’s team GPA award twice.
… Two years ago, GW men’s coach Wendy Lawrence and women’s coach Maura Myers approached the athletic department about getting funding for scholarships and initially were rebuffed.
“I think the university assumed that squash players already had money,” Lawrence said, referring to the game’s reputation in the United States as an elitist sport played mostly at exclusive prep schools and Ivy League universities.
That was and continues to be somewhat true — recently, the family of one of Lawrence’s players donated $100,000 to the team — but the men’s and women’s squads at George Washington also have athletes on need-based financial aid. Tuition, room and board at GW is $51,775, one of the more expensive amounts in the country.
Six months after the rejection, however, the coaches received an e-mail. Both teams would be given partial scholarships to award new student-athletes starting this fall.
“We wanted to treat all of our programs the same,” GW associate athletic director Chandra Bierwirth said. “This seemed to be the natural piece of the puzzle.”
… In five seasons, the women’s team has gone from 29th to a ranking of 15th last year. They are currently the second-highest nationally ranked team at George Washington, behind men’s rowing…
November 28th, 2009 at 3:27PM
Very very cool. A great game, squash. Who’da thunk I’d be envious of GWU over a sports issue?