George Washington University Athletics
Coach. Teacher. Mentor.
1/23/2019 4:00:00 PM | Men's Squash, Women's Squash, My GW: Celebrating our Stories
Wendy Lawrence honored with Tournament of Champions Women's Squash Leadership Award
Fresh out of college, Wendy Lawrence worked as a paralegal at a Wall Street law firm just long enough to know she wasn't cut out for the daily monotony of life behind a desk.
Lawrence put aside plans for law school to focus on coaching squash and a gig as a page at NBC. She pondered a career in television production with an assignment on the 1980 Moscow Olympics looming as her big break in the industry.
Then, President Jimmy Carter ordered an American boycott of the Summer Games amid Cold War tensions with the Soviet Union.
"So, I just kept coaching squash," Lawrence said, simply. "And I've pretty much never stopped."
Indeed, Lawrence has devoted the past four decades of her life to the sport of squash.
She distinguished herself in the squash community, first as a player and then as a coach on the club, high school and college levels. Her latest chapter brought her to Foggy Bottom in 2007, where she's served as the architect of GW's sustained build of both its men's and women's programs.
In recognition of that commitment, Lawrence was honored Tuesday with the 2019 Tournament of Champions Women's Squash Leadership Award at a luncheon benefitting the Women's Sports Foundation in conjunction with the prestigious international tournament in New York City.
Lawrence's caring personality and even-keeled demeanor, coupled with a vast knowledge of the game, have long set up her players for success. Those who know her best say it's a well-deserved honor for a humble coach who has put together an impressive resume without seeking the spotlight.
"What is it that we do? We coach, we teach, we mentor," said Trinity College coach Paul Assaiante, a long-time friend who introduced Lawrence at Tuesday's event. "When you look at Wendy, it's check, check, check. She covers all the boxes.
"Basically, she has changed lives through the teaching of sport."
A New York City native, Lawrence didn't play squash until college. She arrived at Vassar a decorated tennis player and tried it on the advice of her coach there who handled both sports.
When a shoulder injury halted her tennis career, Lawrence turned her full attention to squash. She was a fine player rising as high as No. 12 nationally, but she's proven an even better coach.
She's built her trailblazing career on seeking out new opportunities and tackling them head on.
"I think the reason the law school route wasn't for me was because it was too chained to a chair and a desk," Lawrence said. "I'm just better with people and interacting with players or parents or alums or whoever it might be. I just find (coaching) really exciting because the challenges are always changing."
Lawrence has found success at every stop.
In the early 1980s, she became the first female coach of a public club in the U.S. at Uptown Racquet Club in her hometown. Then, she moved to the nation's capital to help launch its first public club.
She ran a successful prep program at Potomac School, helped found a gym in a former D.C. public school on Capitol Hill and started a program to teach squash to underprivileged children in the District.
For her efforts, Lawrence was honored by U.S. Squash with the Wedgewood Trophy for contributions to the game and the Feron Cup for sportsmanship. In addition, she received a lifetime achievement award from the National Capital Squash Racquets Association in 2006.
"She's kind of seen all sides of it," said Gail Ramsay, the Princeton women's coach whose friendship with Lawrence dates back more than 30 years. "She's just a great ambassador and a positive voice for our game."
Lawrence's work over the last decade-plus at GW has continued that legacy of excellence.
She was always intrigued by the college game but had to wait for the right opportunity. With a family to raise and roots in D.C., she had no interest in moving out of the area.
GW launched its varsity programs in the fall of 2002, and the Colonials were still very much in their infancy when Lawrence took over the men's side in 2007.
At the beginning, the Colonials had no strength and conditioning program, no scholarship money and a shoe-string recruiting budget. Yet, Lawrence had a vision to sell and belief in how to get there.
It helped to have a thick rolodex of contacts in the game to help spread the word.
"A lot of people didn't even know GW had a team," said Lawrence, who took over the women's team in August 2010.
Slowly but steadily, Lawrence's dream has taken shape.
It's not always easy balancing four hours of on-court practice daily with the work recruiting, scheduling and planning travel it takes to keep two programs running smoothly, but the results speak for themselves.
In her first season leading both programs, they achieved their best-ever rankings with the women 15th and the men 18th.
The women won their first Kurtz Cup (B-Division) title in 2014 to finish ninth nationally and then jumped up to seventh the next season, which remains their high-water mark. The men broke through with their last Hoehn Cup (B-Division) title last spring, taking down Yale in a memorable final.
The program was also able to host CSA Individual Nationals for the first time last spring with a pair of Colonials earning All-American honors on their home court.
"It's been a process and it's taken 12 years to get where we are, but it's been incredibly rewarding to be a part of it," said Lawrence, whose squads currently rank 12th (men) and 13th (women) in the national polls.
GW has improved its fortunes in large part by expanding its recruiting reach globally.
This year, the Colonials hail from 11 different countries across the two rosters with nine nations represented on the men's side.
Both teams have benefitted from a steady pipeline of top recruits from Colombia who have joined the Buff and Blue. That group is headlined by Anna Gabriella Porras, who wrapped her career in 2016 as the most decorated player in program history.
Porras said the culture Lawrence has created helped unlock her full potential.
The four-time All-American called her pledge to play for the Colonials "one of the best decisions of my life." She was recently reminded of that again when Lawrence flew to Colombia to attend her wedding.
"Squash is a very individual sport, but playing at GW, it becomes a very team sport," Porras said. "That mentality of doing what's best for the team and being a family and supporting each other, it all comes from her."
Lawrence's support often goes far beyond the squash court. She organizes team dinners and other outings to further that team spirit and takes time to get to know her players as people.
Junior Jamie Oakley, a native of New Zealand, said Lawrence meets every problem with calm and understanding, which he appreciated as he learned how to balance the demands of school and sport in a foreign country.
"She'll never really say how great she is, but there's not enough superlatives to talk about Wendy," Oakley said. "I'm sure all the guys and girls on the team would say the same thing. On top of being a great squash coach, she's sort of like a mom away from home, really."
For Lawrence, the current challenge is continuing to grow the sport at GW and beyond.
She spent four years leading the Women's College Squash Association before helping to unite the men's and women's groups. Now, she's one of four coaches nationally who sits on the board of the all-encompassing College Squash Association.
As one of five women leading a men's program nationally, she takes seriously the responsibility of helping set the course for the future.
"Because it's a sport that relies so heavily on volunteers, my feeling was always that somebody had to step up," Lawrence said. "I just wanted to do my part."
Lawrence has carried that experience throughout her career in the sport, leading to her latest honor Tuesday. She was the sixth recipient of the award, landing in the decorated company of national champions and giants of the game.
Once, it took an Olympic boycott to focus Lawrence's path forward in coaching. Nearly forty years later, she's as grateful as ever how it turned out.
"To me, it's been a career that I've loved every minute of," Lawrence said. "If I had felt differently, I would've changed gears, but I think there's a reason why I've been doing it as long as I have. I'll continue to do it as long as I feel like I can contribute something."
(1/22/2019) Wendy Lawrence Tournament of Champions
Lawrence put aside plans for law school to focus on coaching squash and a gig as a page at NBC. She pondered a career in television production with an assignment on the 1980 Moscow Olympics looming as her big break in the industry.
Then, President Jimmy Carter ordered an American boycott of the Summer Games amid Cold War tensions with the Soviet Union.
"So, I just kept coaching squash," Lawrence said, simply. "And I've pretty much never stopped."
Indeed, Lawrence has devoted the past four decades of her life to the sport of squash.
She distinguished herself in the squash community, first as a player and then as a coach on the club, high school and college levels. Her latest chapter brought her to Foggy Bottom in 2007, where she's served as the architect of GW's sustained build of both its men's and women's programs.
In recognition of that commitment, Lawrence was honored Tuesday with the 2019 Tournament of Champions Women's Squash Leadership Award at a luncheon benefitting the Women's Sports Foundation in conjunction with the prestigious international tournament in New York City.
Lawrence's caring personality and even-keeled demeanor, coupled with a vast knowledge of the game, have long set up her players for success. Those who know her best say it's a well-deserved honor for a humble coach who has put together an impressive resume without seeking the spotlight.
"What is it that we do? We coach, we teach, we mentor," said Trinity College coach Paul Assaiante, a long-time friend who introduced Lawrence at Tuesday's event. "When you look at Wendy, it's check, check, check. She covers all the boxes.
"Basically, she has changed lives through the teaching of sport."
A New York City native, Lawrence didn't play squash until college. She arrived at Vassar a decorated tennis player and tried it on the advice of her coach there who handled both sports.
When a shoulder injury halted her tennis career, Lawrence turned her full attention to squash. She was a fine player rising as high as No. 12 nationally, but she's proven an even better coach.
She's built her trailblazing career on seeking out new opportunities and tackling them head on.
"I think the reason the law school route wasn't for me was because it was too chained to a chair and a desk," Lawrence said. "I'm just better with people and interacting with players or parents or alums or whoever it might be. I just find (coaching) really exciting because the challenges are always changing."
Lawrence has found success at every stop.
In the early 1980s, she became the first female coach of a public club in the U.S. at Uptown Racquet Club in her hometown. Then, she moved to the nation's capital to help launch its first public club.
She ran a successful prep program at Potomac School, helped found a gym in a former D.C. public school on Capitol Hill and started a program to teach squash to underprivileged children in the District.
For her efforts, Lawrence was honored by U.S. Squash with the Wedgewood Trophy for contributions to the game and the Feron Cup for sportsmanship. In addition, she received a lifetime achievement award from the National Capital Squash Racquets Association in 2006.
"She's kind of seen all sides of it," said Gail Ramsay, the Princeton women's coach whose friendship with Lawrence dates back more than 30 years. "She's just a great ambassador and a positive voice for our game."
Lawrence's work over the last decade-plus at GW has continued that legacy of excellence.
She was always intrigued by the college game but had to wait for the right opportunity. With a family to raise and roots in D.C., she had no interest in moving out of the area.
GW launched its varsity programs in the fall of 2002, and the Colonials were still very much in their infancy when Lawrence took over the men's side in 2007.
At the beginning, the Colonials had no strength and conditioning program, no scholarship money and a shoe-string recruiting budget. Yet, Lawrence had a vision to sell and belief in how to get there.
It helped to have a thick rolodex of contacts in the game to help spread the word.
"A lot of people didn't even know GW had a team," said Lawrence, who took over the women's team in August 2010.
Slowly but steadily, Lawrence's dream has taken shape.
It's not always easy balancing four hours of on-court practice daily with the work recruiting, scheduling and planning travel it takes to keep two programs running smoothly, but the results speak for themselves.
In her first season leading both programs, they achieved their best-ever rankings with the women 15th and the men 18th.
The women won their first Kurtz Cup (B-Division) title in 2014 to finish ninth nationally and then jumped up to seventh the next season, which remains their high-water mark. The men broke through with their last Hoehn Cup (B-Division) title last spring, taking down Yale in a memorable final.
The program was also able to host CSA Individual Nationals for the first time last spring with a pair of Colonials earning All-American honors on their home court.
"It's been a process and it's taken 12 years to get where we are, but it's been incredibly rewarding to be a part of it," said Lawrence, whose squads currently rank 12th (men) and 13th (women) in the national polls.
GW has improved its fortunes in large part by expanding its recruiting reach globally.
This year, the Colonials hail from 11 different countries across the two rosters with nine nations represented on the men's side.
Both teams have benefitted from a steady pipeline of top recruits from Colombia who have joined the Buff and Blue. That group is headlined by Anna Gabriella Porras, who wrapped her career in 2016 as the most decorated player in program history.
Porras said the culture Lawrence has created helped unlock her full potential.
The four-time All-American called her pledge to play for the Colonials "one of the best decisions of my life." She was recently reminded of that again when Lawrence flew to Colombia to attend her wedding.
"Squash is a very individual sport, but playing at GW, it becomes a very team sport," Porras said. "That mentality of doing what's best for the team and being a family and supporting each other, it all comes from her."
Lawrence's support often goes far beyond the squash court. She organizes team dinners and other outings to further that team spirit and takes time to get to know her players as people.
Junior Jamie Oakley, a native of New Zealand, said Lawrence meets every problem with calm and understanding, which he appreciated as he learned how to balance the demands of school and sport in a foreign country.
"She'll never really say how great she is, but there's not enough superlatives to talk about Wendy," Oakley said. "I'm sure all the guys and girls on the team would say the same thing. On top of being a great squash coach, she's sort of like a mom away from home, really."
For Lawrence, the current challenge is continuing to grow the sport at GW and beyond.
She spent four years leading the Women's College Squash Association before helping to unite the men's and women's groups. Now, she's one of four coaches nationally who sits on the board of the all-encompassing College Squash Association.
As one of five women leading a men's program nationally, she takes seriously the responsibility of helping set the course for the future.
"Because it's a sport that relies so heavily on volunteers, my feeling was always that somebody had to step up," Lawrence said. "I just wanted to do my part."
Lawrence has carried that experience throughout her career in the sport, leading to her latest honor Tuesday. She was the sixth recipient of the award, landing in the decorated company of national champions and giants of the game.
Once, it took an Olympic boycott to focus Lawrence's path forward in coaching. Nearly forty years later, she's as grateful as ever how it turned out.
"To me, it's been a career that I've loved every minute of," Lawrence said. "If I had felt differently, I would've changed gears, but I think there's a reason why I've been doing it as long as I have. I'll continue to do it as long as I feel like I can contribute something."
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Squash
GW Women's Basketball vs. Loyola-Chicago (WNIT Super 16 Post-Game Press Conference)
Saturday, March 28
2025-26 GW Athletics Jersey Recognitions
Monday, March 23
GW Women's Basketball vs. Bradley (WNIT Post-Game Press Conference)
Friday, March 20
GW Men's Basketball vs. St. Bonaventure (Post-Game Press Conference)
Thursday, March 05