For most third-graders, squash is a type of vegetable that you push to the side of your plate and spit out when your parents aren't looking. But for Caroline Shannon '07, squash was a fun sport she got to play with her dad. In third grade, Shannon got her first "baby racquet" and practiced under her father's guidance. "He was always pushing us in little ways athletically," Shannon said, referring to her siblings and herself. "It was a good way to spend time with him."

Growing up in Hanover, N.H., Shannon played squash recreationally until high school, attending a few clinics such as the Hanover Clinic at Dartmouth College in her eighth-grade year. "They would take us to the bad courts in the back," Shannon recalled. "It was just me and 10 eighth-grade boys. It was fun to beat up on the boys."

Even though she had early exposure to squash, Shannon's main sport in middle school was lacrosse. However, when she enrolled in St. Paul's boarding school in southern New Hampshire, she had to play three sports. So she picked up field hockey and continued with squash and lacrosse. The tri-sport athlete especially stood out on the squash courts. In her first season she made varsity as the seventh player on the seven-man ladder. "That's when I started getting into it and taking it seriously," Shannon said.

In 10th grade, Shannon took over the number five spot. "The team was really good and I got all-league honors," she said. "That was kind of a breakthrough for me. It was fun to be on a winning team and to get recognized for it."

In Shannon's final two years of high school she took her squash game to another level: nationals. High school matches didn't count for national rankings, so she had to play in junior tournaments. Shannon made her nationals debut in the U-17 age group as one of the top 32 players in the country. As a senior, Shannon bumped up to the U-19 level. This time the competition was so close they let 33 people go to the tournament. Ranked 33rd, Shannon had to win a playoff match before the tournament began, but successfully played in the national tournament for the second year in a row.

Following a lucrative high school career, Shannon had a hard time deciding where to attend college. "At first I was opposed to small New England colleges because I grew up in Hanover with Dartmouth," Shannon explained. "So I visited Duke, Stanford, Harvard and UPenn. Amherst was last on my list."

However, Shannon was still an avid lacrosse-as well as squash-player, and met with former women's squash Head Coach Jackie Bagwell and women's lacrosse Head Coach Chris Paradis. "I realized then that I wanted to come to Amherst," Shannon said. "I wanted to play two sports and I liked liberal arts. When I visited [Amherst] I thought people were normal, well-rounded and did other things besides sit in the library all day."

Shannon made an immediate impact on Amherst's squash team, playing in the third position as a rookie. She also had a great mentor in Ashley Harmeling '05, a standout three-sport athlete who played in Amherst's top spot on the squash court. "Ashley was great," Shannon said. "Playing with someone as good as her was good for me to push myself."

Shannon joined Harmeling at the College Squash Association Individual Tournament as a first-year and a sophomore. After her sophomore campaign, where she placed 69th in the CSA tournament, Shannon took over Amherst's top spot, and has played there ever since. "Playing number one is really fun this season," she said. "Last year, there were a few moments where I was not as confident, but after having one season behind me, I feel good about what I've done."

Always playing the best player on every team can be daunting, but Shannon has stepped up to the task. "Playing number one for the last few years has been very challenging," recognized Head Coach Tom Carmean. "Other teams have players that have much more experience or are international students who are nationally ranked and it can get discouraging to play those sorts of matches time and again. The thing that impresses me so much about Caroline is that she does not get down on herself about the losses. Instead, she pushes herself constantly to improve."

Another aspect of Amherst squash that Shannon enjoys is being on a team. "We end up spending a lot of time together over Interterm and at matches all weekend," she said. "It's good getting to know other people from different grade levels. We try to do more with the men's team and we went to San Diego, Calif., during Interterm, which was really fun. It's an individual sport, but everything counts for the team."

"Caroline has done so much for the women's squash program in her four years," Carmean said about his top player. "She has worked so hard this year to improve her game and add to her understanding of the game. She has also been an exemplary captain and teammate."

The team has been one of the top 20 teams in the nation each of Shannon's four years. After finishing 10th and 11th, respectively, in Shannon's first-year and sophomore campaigns, the Jeffs are currently ranked 18th, which is where they finished at the end of last season. "Our overall ranking has gone down, but going through that has made us stronger," Shannon maintained. "It is hard to use the numbers to say we're better or worse. This year we moved up from our pre-season ranking. There is a lot of room for improvement, and we've improved a lot."

Shannon attributes a lot of the team's success to Carmean's dedication. "Coach Carmean has done a great job of leading the team," Shannon said. "He has a good positive attitude, pushes us to be the best and is really helpful to the girls on the ladder. He legitimately does care about our team and our success."

Another Amherst team with which Shannon has had success is the women's lacrosse team. In each of the three years that she was on the team, the Jeffs participated in the NCAA Div. III Tournament, making it to the Final Four in Shannon's rookie season. "I love the lacrosse team," Shannon said. "It is a good complement to an individual sport."

This year, however, Shannon is writing a thesis and will not be playing lacrosse. She created an interdisciplinary major of art and philosophy, dubbed Art and Aesthetics. For her thesis, Shannon is writing about conceptual art and a movement in the 1960s and '70s. The last two summers, Shannon worked in museums, but right now she is not sure of her plans after graduation.

One thing is certain, however. Shannon intends to continue playing squash in leagues and at various levels of national competition. "I really want to keep playing," she said. "Squash is definitely a lifetime sport. I hope this is just the beginning."