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Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
ISA Individuals
El-Halaby Claims Collegiate Squash National Championship
March 02, 2003 | Men's Squash
March 2, 2003
HARTFORD, Conn. - Before the start of the 2002-03 squash season, Princeton head coach Bob Callahan wanted to make sure that expectations weren't too high for his highly touted freshman, Yasser El-Halaby. As it turns out, they probably weren't high enough, as El-Halaby defeated teammate Will Evans 3-0 to win the 2003 CSA intercollegiate national title.
El-Halaby, the No. 1 player from Princeton and a native of Cairo, Egypt, dropped only five points in the championship effort. He topped Evans, the 2002 finalist who defeated the defending national champion Bernardo Samper 3-2 in the semifinal, 9-3, 9-0, 9-2.
El-Halaby punctuated a highly impressive season with the win. He led Princeton to the National Five-Man Championship and an Ivy League title by going undefeated at No. 1 in both runs. He won two of three matches against Samper, and avenged his only loss of the year with a 3-0 win over the Trinity No. 1 in the finals of the team championship, which Trinity won 6-3.