Julieanne Harris, the Director of Squash at Philadelphia Cricket Club, will be awarded the Achievement Bowl during Women in Sports Day at the FS Investments U.S. Open on Wednesday October 10 at Drexel University. The fifth-annual WISD features a panel discussion at 4pm; a cocktail reception at 5pm with remarks and award presentations; and then that evening’s quarterfinal matches.
Australian born Harris, took up squash at age twenty-three. She moved to the U.S. in 1983 with her husband Bill Lane and worked at Western Athletic Clubs in San Francisco and Santa Clara before moving to the Philadelphia area in 1988. She started the squash team at Agnes Irwin School and was the assistant women’s team coach at Penn before coming to Philadelphia Cricket Club in 1992. Since then, she has led one of the country’s most successful junior programs. Nine of her Philly Cricket players have made Team USA’s national junior team and many more have been national champions in singles and doubles. She has also twice coached the U.S. junior women’s team at the World Junior Championships, in Norway in 1991 and Malaysia in 1993.
Harris is an extraordinarily accomplished player. She won the open softball division at the National Singles in 1984 and 1986, as well as the Canadian national open title in 1984 and 1985. She played for the U.S. at the world championships in 1985 and 1989. In doubles, Harris has won the U.S. open title three times, in 1991 and 1992 (partnering with last year’s Achievement Bowl honoree Gail Ramsay) and in 1995 with Joyce Davenport. She has also captured seven Canadian national open doubles titles in women’s and mixed doubles and four U.S. age group titles in women’s and mixed doubles.
The Achievement Bowl is US Squash’s oldest award. Since 1955 it has been given out annually to a woman who has made notable and profound contributions to the advancement of squash.
Purchase tickets for Women in Sports Day on www.usopensquash.com/tickets.
