From Meyers Fields to Ivy League Squash CourtsHotchkiss School ’22Yale University ’26Taylor Clayton’s path to collegiate sports has been defined by perseverance and commitment, both in academics and athletics. While squash wasn’t a part of Taylor’s RCS experience, the foundation of teamwork, camaraderie, and shared goals was firmly established through participation in soccer, basketball, and lacrosse. Under the mentorship of Vincent Kwarula and former teacher/coach Tim Hart, these early experiences set the stage for Taylor’s subsequent leadership at Hotchkiss School as a two-year captain of the varsity squash team and a four-time recipient of the Upper School Squash Scholar-Athlete Award. Taylor is now at Yale University, where the pursuit of an economics degree is balanced with Ivy League squash.RCS: How did athletics at RCS play a part in your squash career?TC: Even though I never had the opportunity to play squash for RCS, competing on the soccer field, basketball court, and lacrosse field taught me many important lessons and provided some of my favorite memories. Before high school and college competitions, squash was an independent sport for me (that is, I never played on a team). When joining my high school and college teams, my team-sport experience at RCS prepared me to work with my team towards a common goal, push every teammate as they pushed me, and enjoy the camaraderie of a team sport. Also, I appreciate RCS for exposing me to many different kinds of sports, beginning in Lower School physical education with Mr. V [Dan Viglione] and Mrs. [Cheryl] Coyle.Coach K, in soccer, and Mr. [Tim] Hart, in basketball and lacrosse, helped foster my love for sports and competition as well as showing me the benefits of hard work and dedication. Coach K pushed me out of my comfort zone by asking me to play up with the seventh, eighth, and ninth graders in my first two years in middle school. Even though I was often the smallest person