HAVERFORD, Pa. – Haverford College Director of Athletics Wendy Smith '87 has announced the hiring of Niki Clement as head men's and women's varsity squash coach.
"I am extremely pleased to welcome Niki Clement to Haverford's coaching staff," said Smith. "Niki's playing and coaching experiences make her uniquely qualified to lead our men's and women's squash programs in a manner reflective of Haverford's quest for academic and athletic excellence."
Clement, who graduated from Radnor High School, has played professionally for the past year and is ranked 119th in the world according to the August 2010 rankings released by the Women's International Squash Players Association (WISPA).
Her collegiate career foreshadowed the success she has achieved on the pro tour.
A 2006 graduate of Bowdoin College, Clement was a two-time All-America honoree (2003, 2004) and four-time most valuable player for the Polar Bears, who finished ninth in the country in 2003 and never lower than 13th during Clement's four years as the squad's number-one player. A team captain in her final two years at the school, she received the Lucy L. Shulman Trophy for most outstanding female athlete in 2006 after earning the most outstanding female freshman athlete award in 2003. Clement's career wins total continues to top Bowdoin's record board.
Clement's coaching career began while she was still an undergraduate at Bowdoin. She received her level-I coaching certification in 2004 then coached at several squash camps over the next few years.
Following her graduation and an internship with the United States Squash Racquets Association (then headquartered in Philadelphia) Clement moved to California where she began work on her master's degree in sport management at the University of San Francisco. She joined the staff at the Decathlon Club where she worked as a squash professional and also gained collegiate coaching experience working with Mark Talbott's Stanford University squad during the 2006-07 season.
Upon completion of her master's degree in 2009 Clement accepted a position as a squash professional with The Squash Alley in Stamford, Conn., where she also serves as a regional representative for the women's committee of U.S. Squash, and began playing on the pro tour.
"It is very exciting for me to have been presented this opportunity at Haverford, a place that I have been looking toward professionally since graduating college" said Clement. "As a former Division III player myself, I understand the balance these athletes will need to strike between academics and athletics. I'm enthusiastic about each player's potential for individual improvement and I aim to maintain an emphasis on character, integrity and personal achievement and know that these players will put in the work required for success on and off the court."