Several members of the WPI Athletic Hall of Fame enjoyed success
in multiple sports at WPI. A select few arguably had a Hall of Fame
career in each of their sports. Undoubtedly, one such individual is
Rachel Zimet Pytel.
On the basketball court Zimet was a double-double machine. She
averaged double digits in both scoring and rebounding during her
sophomore and junior seasons, and narrowly missed the trifecta her
senior campaign by a 10th of a rebound per game.
She garnered All-NEWMAC honors her junior and senior years and
was named second team All-New England by D3hoops.com during her
senior year of 2001-02. It was that year that Zimet helped the
Engineers to a 17-10 record and a berth in the NEWMAC
semifinals.
The two-time captain reached the 1,000 point and rebound
milestones as she tallied 1,096 points and hauled in 1,009
rebounds. The forward is in the top five in a career rebounds and
held the school record for rebounds in a game and in a season. Her
shooting percentage improved by at least 4 percent each year,
starting with a solid 42.8 percent as a rookie in 1998-99 and
ending with an eye-popping 60.2 percent her senior season.
“Zimmie was simply amazing!” noted head coach
Cherise Galasso. “Her work ethic and determination inspired
her teammates and set a standard of success for the program. On and
off the court, she was a role model in every sense of the
word.”
Zimet wasted no time bursting onto the collegiate volleyball
scene. During her debut season in the fall of 1998, she took home
NEWMAC Rookie of the Year honors after totaling 482 kills and
registering an impressive .343 hitting percentage. She filled the
stat sheets with 260 digs, 98 blocks, and 61 aces, played a huge
role as the team compiled a 21-9 record, and defeated Regis and
Westfield State to win the MAIAW championship.
She showed no signs of a sophomore slump as she earned
All-NEWMAC status by tallying 334 kills, 235 digs, 37 blocks, and
30 aces while posting a .314 hitting percentage. The honors
continued her junior campaign as she registered 342 kills, 257
digs, 58 blocks, and 51 aces while nabbing her second straight
all-conference selection.
Her three-year career volleyball stats are staggering. Zimet
amassed 1,158 kills to go along with 752 digs, 193 blocks, and 142
aces.
“Rachel was a strong, intelligent, and driven
athlete,” says volleyball coach Nancy Vaskas. “Her
talent, combined with her competitive nature, made her a force on
the volleyball court. Rachel's impact on WPI athletics will be
everlasting."
Zimet earned Academic All-NEWMAC accolades three times in
basketball and twice for volleyball. She took home the Coaches
Award as the top WPI freshman in 1998-99 and earned a full
fellowship to MIT to earn her doctorate. She graduated from WPI in
2002 with a degree in chemical engineering. In 2007 she received
her PhD in materials science and engineering from MIT, then went on
to work as a polymer scientist at Dow Chemical Company.
Currently, Rachel and her husband, Chad, live in
Boston—she says she spends her days chasing after their
two-year-old son, Noah.
