HADLEY, Mass. -- Four members of the Amherst College women's squash team, as well as the team's coaching staff, were accorded All-NESCAC honors when they were announced today.

First year Kristen Daniel (Saratoga, Calif.) was selected as the NESCAC Rookie of the Year, and Head Coach Busani Xaba, along with Assistant Coaches Yuri Franca and Nadiia Usenko, were named Coaching Staff of the Year. Meanwhile, senior captain Tanmai Pathak (New Delhi, India) and sophomore Quincy Cline (Brooklyn, N.Y.) were awarded All-NESCAC Honors, while junior Alex Brown (Victoria, British Columbia) earned All-NESCAC Second Team accolades.

After arriving on campus this fall, Daniel emerged as one of the Mammoths' breakout stars. Playing the whole season in the top half of the Amherst ladder, usually at the No. 4 or No. 5 spot, Daniel compiled an impressive record of 17-5 in her first collegiate season. The highlight of her individual season came against St. Lawrence University, when she competed at the No. 1 spot and came out on top in a five-set thriller.

Pathak earned her first All-NESCAC selection with a First Team to close her standout career in 2024-25. The senior compiled a 13-7 record in team matches this season while playing in the Mammoths' top spot and battled her way to a semifinal appearance in the College Squash Association (CSA) Individual Championships Holleran East bracket. She finished the season with a 5.51 Universal Squash Rating (USR), tops on this Mammoths team.

This year's First Team selection is the first All-NESCAC award of Cline's young career. The New York native finished 2024-25 with a 13-6 record and a 5.27 USR as the Mammoths' No. 2. She also earned the privilege of competing in the CSA Individual Championships, winning the Consolation Final of the Holleran West bracket after receiving a bye into the final. 

Brown was awarded her first All-NESCAC selection, earning 2nd-Team All-Conference honors this season. The No. 3 player on the Amherst ladder, Brown compiled a 5.28 USR and a 14-5 record on the season. Her aggressive play helped the team to multiple big wins this season and dominated her opponents on her way to nine 3-0 wins this year.

Xaba, Franca, and Usenko were voted Coaching Staff of the Year by their peers for the first time in Xaba's career at Amherst. They were given the honor after leading the Mammoths to a 17-6 overall record, a NESCAC Semifinal appearance, and a runner-up finish in the CSA Tournament Kurtz Cup. They coached the team to great heights, seeing their players put together an individual match record of 150 wins and just 57 losses this season, with 10 different players recording at least 10 wins throughout the campaign.