Dickinson College's Amna Fayyaz ’24 Named Pakistan’s Female Emerging Star of the Year
'Her future is very bright,' says Dickinson coach
by MaryAlice Bitts-Jackson
At age 18, Amna Fayyaz ’24 is ranked as one the top-100 athletes in the world for her sport and the No. 1 emerging female athlete in her home country. Last month, the Dickinson women’s squash team member was named the 2021 Female Emerging Star of the Year at the Pakistan Sports Awards, the biggest sports-award ceremony in the nation.
“We're all very excited about the award, and we’re eager to have her as part of the team,” says Head Squash Coach Chris Fernandez.
Fayyaz began playing squash at age 13. Just two years later, she was ranked No. 1 in Pakistan’s under-19 national squash category. And last year, at age 17, she won Pakistan’s national championship for the fourth consecutive year. Fayyaz is currently ranked the No. 1 women’s squash player in Pakistan and No. 86 in the PSA’s World Women’s Squash. So when she chose to attend Dickinson, her coach and future teammates were thrilled.
“There were a lot of schools interested in her,” says Fernandez, who met Fayyaz virtually through a former college teammate and arranged a Zoom meeting with Fayyaz and the women’s squash team last year, “but even before she committed to Dickinson, she was interested in really getting to know the team members. Everyone loved her right away.”
During the remote fall semester, Fayyez met with her teammates three times each week. The first weekly discussion centered on social justice and current events. The second meeting was a check-in on how everyone was doing, in and outside of class. The third was a group virtual workout.
Fayyaz’s teammates cheered her on from afar as she accepted the Female Emerging Star of the Year award during the 2021 Pakistan Sports Awards ceremony in Lahore. As expressed on the Pakistan Sports Awards website, the award recognizes Pakistani athletes “who make dreams come true and bring accolades for the country” and provides a venue “to thank our real-life heroes, honor them and inspire future ones to take the stage.”
“It’s an honor to be recognized by this platform,” Fayyaz responded. “Winning, for me, means surpassing myself and turning my dreams into reality. This award has helped bolster my confidence and motivation to strive harder and train harder to climb the ladder and be ranked among the top 10 in the world.”
Now, Fayyaz is on campus, and she’s enjoying meeting first- and second-year teammates in person while continuing to meet with the whole team remotely. She says she looks forward to continuing to work under Fernandez’s mentorship and to compete as a Dickinsonian and as an impact player, collaborating with her teammates to win. Fernandez says the team looks forward to it too.
"Amna is a true rock star, on and off the court, and her future is very bright,” says Fernandez, noting that Fayyaz’s talent on the court is matched by a love of songwriting, an eagerness for academics and a personable, collaborative sprit. “We’re all looking forward to seeing what she accomplishes next.”
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Published February 1, 2021