TO be the finest in the land at only 14 years old is no small feat. Yet female squash sensation Alyssa Mullings handles the acclamation as effortlessly as she wields the racquet on-court.

The long-limbed Mullings made history this year when she became the youngest individual to win the national senior female squash title.

“I am not really surprised because I was training very hard and knew the people I was going to go up against,” she said regarding the phenomenal achievement.

Apparently a bit of parental guidance came in handy.

“My father gave me the hard work [to prepare] according to each person’s game and just got me ready for the Championships, and I’m happy I did well,” continued the teenager in a concise, but clear style.

Previously, she had sliced her way through the local junior ranks and proved herself head and shoulders above her contemporaries.

Mullings, a student at Bishop Gibson High in Manchester who begins fifth form in September, is also a juggernaut in the region.

She is tipped to successfully defend her Under-15 Girls’ title at the Caribbean Area Squash Association (CASA) Junior Championships, which commences today in Trinidad & Tobago.

Such is her prowess that Jamaica’s coach Rene Denis — a man unlikely to be challenged as a bonafide judge of squash talent — labelled the player as “the powerhouse of the Caribbean”.

The buoyant Mullings, who turns 15 next month, is certainly keen on staying at the crest of the wave — particularly because of her recent successes.

“It makes me a little more confident knowing that I won the senior title. It makes me feel a little better knowing that I have done well and I can continue to do well. It makes me a little less nervous.

“I’m really going there to defend my title and to make my family and my country proud,” she told the Jamaica Observer.

But the urge to maintain camaraderie and good-fellowship with her Caribbean rivals is one she does not hide.

“I’m also looking to meet my friends from countries like Guyana and Barbados,” she added in a blissful tone.