After competing in squash for almost a decade, playing for Team USA and ranking 14th in the nation for her sport, senior Eedha Mehta has something new to add to her resume: a Division I commitment to Yale University.

“Yale has always been my dream school,” Eedha said. “At first, I didn’t receive an offer as early from them as I did from other schools, so I was nervous. It was a risk waiting out for the school I wanted, but my coaches and parents supported me.”

Before dedicating herself to squash, Eedha tried almost everything — piano, soccer, basketball, dance, and swimming, most of which her parents pushed her into. Then, she followed her younger brother Vivaan into squash. At 9 years old — a relatively late age to start the sport — she immediately fell in love with it.

“I never thought I’d be cut out to play squash,” Eedha said. “But I learned that if you put in the time, and when you really want to achieve something, you can make up for any ‘late start.’”

U.S. Squash Coach Charlie Johnson began working with Eedha three years ago at the Bay Club Redwood Shores. Since then, Eedha trained on a rigorous schedule — at least two individual sessions with Johnson, and three Academy sessions every week. 

“When I first started coaching Eedha, I could immediately see from her solid game that she had a lot of potential,” Johnson said. “When we started working together, it blossomed from there.”

Once she started working with Johnson, Eedha’s level of commitment increased drastically, and with it, the pressure to perform well. As she moved from local squash competitions to national tournaments, squash became her number one priority. 

Entering high school, Eedha struggled with balancing academics with squash, and her mental health became the compromise. Over time, with support from teammates and parents, Eedha began to find her groove as a student-athlete. 

“At our level, we have to be pretty locked in on homework,” teammate Isha Gupta said. “At practice, we all sit in a little work area and get to be social with one another, so we’ve all found that balance together.”

In 2022, Eedha received the U.S. Squash Junior Sportsmanship Award. She has also competed as a Junior National Team member and, with Team USA, competed at the British Junior Open, Battle of the Border Competition against Canada, and the Egyptian Junior Open. 

“Squash is such an individual sport, so it’s really different not just playing for yourself anymore but playing for your country,” Eedha said. “I’m so grateful that I was able to go and play alongside girls from all over the country.” 

However, Eedha’s journey wasn’t without its challenges. At the start of her junior year, a shoulder and back injury took her off the court for eight months. The injury tanked her ranking as the recruiting window opened, and it took Eedha almost a year to return to her former level after starting from scratch and revisiting fundamentals.

“We had to take things one day at a time for almost eight months,” Johnson said. “I remember having to teach her how to hit a backhand again. It was a slow process, but she was mentally tough enough to buy into the process and not expect outcomes too quickly.”

Due to her injury, Eedha initially struggled in the college recruitment process —  she didn’t receive offers as early as other girls at her level.

“She had to convince coaches that she would get better after her injury,” Isha said. “It’s really stressful to have that while you’re being recruited, but the fact that she was able to make that recovery while getting recruited is really commendable as an athlete.”

Eventually, after waiting for some second-choice offers, Eedha got an offer from Yale. 

“It was worth the wait when I got my offer from Yale, and I can’t wait to rediscover squash as a team sport next year with such supportive teammates and coaches,” Eedha said.

Beyond her personal achievements, Eedha also gives back to the program that created her high school and college sports career.

“For me, the most important part of squash is leaving the program better than you found it, and she has done just that,” Johnson said. “She has had a massive impact on other girls and has inspired so many of them. She’s a great example of not having everything happen on her terms but getting the right outcome in the end, and I’m really proud of that.”