HADLEY, Mass. - The New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) announced its women’s squash awards for the 2024-25 season on Wednesday, as voted by the league’s coaches.
Trinity’s Jana Safay was named the NESCAC Player of the Year for the second time in her career. A four-time All-NESCAC First Team performer, Safay helped the Bantams win their 18th consecutive NESCAC title and back-to-back CSA Howe Cups. The No. 2 player on the Trinity ladder, Safay posted 14 wins this season and won 53 matches during her career. Safay’s selection is the 15th time since 2008 a Bantam has been selected as the NESCAC Player of the Year.
Amherst newcomer Kristen Daniel was voted as the NESCAC Rookie of the Year. The rookie played among the top five of the Amherst ladder and went 17-5 in her first season. Daniel is the second Amherst player to earn NESCAC Rookie of the Year honors (Daksha Pathak, 2020).
The Amherst coaching staff was selected as the NESCAC Coaching Staff of the Year by their peers for the first time since 2008. Head coach Busani Xaba, in his fourth season at Amherst, along with assistants Nadiia Usenko and Yuri Franca, guided the Mammoths to a 17-6 record, the most wins since the 2009-10 season, the semifinals of the NESCAC Tournament, and the championship match of the Kurtz Cup.
2025 NESCAC Women's Squash Awards
Player of the Year: Jana Safy, Trinity
Rookie of the Year: Kristen Daniel, Amherst
Coaching Staff of the Year: Amherst (Busani Xaba, Nadiia Usenko, Yuri Franca)
| All-NESCAC First Team |
| Name |
Institution |
Yr |
Hometown |
Previous Honors |
| Lindsey Burnham |
Middlebury |
Jr. |
Bryn Mawr, Pa. |
2024 1st Team, 2023 1st Team |
| Quincy Cline |
Amherst |
So. |
Brooklyn, N.Y. |
|
| Vharsha Dinesh |
Tufts |
Jr. |
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
2024 1st Team, 2023 1st Team |
| Janna El Ashmawy |
Trinity |
Sr. |
Alexandria, Egypt |
2023 2nd Team |
| Navya Gupta |
Bates |
So. |
New Delhi, India |
2024 2nd Team |
| Laavanya Kugan |
Colby |
Jr. |
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
|
| Malak Moustafa |
Trinity |
Sr. |
Alexandria, Egypt |
2023 1st Team, 2022 POY, 2022 Co-ROY, 2022 1st Team |
| Tanmai Pathak |
Amherst |
Sr. |
New Delhi, India |
|
| Jana Safy |
Trinity |
Sr. |
Cairo, Egypt |
2024 1st Team, 2023 POY, 2023 1st Team, 2022 1st Team |
| Emma Watts-Roy |
Bowdoin |
Sr. |
Louisville, Ky. |
2024 2nd Team, 2023 2nd Team, 2022 2nd Team |
|
|
|
|
|
| All-NESCAC Second Team |
| Name |
Institution |
Yr |
Hometown |
Previous Honors |
| Mira Bakshi |
Wesleyan |
Jr. |
Fairfield, Conn. |
|
| Alex Brown |
Amherst |
Jr. |
Victoria, British Columbia |
|
| Hannah Chukwu |
Trinity |
Jr. |
Tatbanya, Hungary |
2024 2nd Team, 2023 ROY, 2023 2nd Team |
| Amanda Cowhey |
Bowdoin |
Sr. |
Ft. Washington, Pa. |
2023 2nd Team, 2022 2nd Team |
| Abhisheka David |
Colby |
Jr. |
Tamil Nadu, India |
|
| Sophia Koehler |
Williams |
So. |
New York, N.Y. |
2024 2nd Team |
| Kara Lincou |
Trinity |
Jr. |
Le Tampon, Reunion |
2024 2nd Team |
| Noa Romero |
Trinity |
Sr. |
Barcelona, Spain |
|
| Nathalie Sim |
Colby |
So. |
Kuching, Malaysia |
|
| Melanie Wang |
Williams |
So. |
Millburn, N.J. |
2024 ROY, 2024 1st Team |
