Denison University has named Pamela Anckermann as the college's new head men's and women's squash coach.
Anckermann brings a wealth of world-class playing and coaching experience with her to Denison. She played No. 1 on the Guatemala National Team for 12-straight years and was a part of two Pan-American Games in 2011 and 2015. In 2014 she won two bronze medals at the Centro American and Caribbean Games while helping Guatemala qualify for the World Team Championships for the first time ever.
From 2009 through 2013, Anckermann played professionally in the Women's International Squash Association where she rose as high as No. 127 in the world.
"We are thrilled to welcome Pamela to the Denison family," said Associate Vice President and Director of Athletics, Nan Carney-DeBord. "Pamela brings a wealth of elite international experience as a player and a coach and we look forward to watching her continue the growth and development of our men's and women's squash programs at Denison."
Anckermann comes to Denison after spending the last year as a coach with the Tuckahoe Squash Club in Tuckahoe, New York. There she coached junior players in the U.S. Junior Open, Silver and Gold Tournaments while giving lessons to players of all levels.
From 2010 through 2017 she was the director of the junior program at Match Point Squash Academy in Guatemala City, Guatemala where she coached the top-10 junior players in the county while organizing several national and international tournaments. While serving as the director of the junior program at Match Point, Anckermann coached teams in international tournaments in Paraguay and Canada.
"I feel so fortunate to have been chosen to lead the men's and women's squash program at Denison, and I can't wait to start this season," Anckermann said. "There is something special about Granville and Denison, and I fell in love with both the moment I arrived."
"I am impressed with Denison's squash program and its long history. I am in awe of all the support from the athletic department, the faculty, staff and the administration, and with their support, I will do my best to meet their expectations. With hard work and discipline, you can achieve anything you set your mind to. I always tell my players that matches are won during training, so that is when you have to give it your all."
A 2009 graduate of Mount Holyoke, Anckermann was the recipient of the Betty Ritchey Award given to the most valuable college squash player in the nation. She was the No. 1 player at Mount Holyoke in all four years and helped her team rise from a No. 27 national ranking to 11th in the country. She left as the program's all-time leader in wins.
After graduating from Mount Holyoke, she spent one year as a volunteer assistant coach at Yale University where she worked under the tutelage of Pamela Saunders, Gareth Weber, and David Talbot.
Anckermann holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Mount Holyoke. She has squash coach level 1 certification from the WSF and USSQUASH.
Squash is a highly competitive club sport at Denison University that competes in the College Squash Association. Last season, Denison's men's program finished the year ranked 36th in the nation. In 2015, Denison's men's team won the Chaffee Cup, which goes to the national champion of the "E" Division.
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