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Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Five-Man Champs
Players Mentioned
Men's Squash Upsets Local Pro Team, Places Third At 5-Man Championships
December 11, 2006 | Men's Squash
Led by a strong weekend by No. 2 player Kimlee Wong, the Princeton 'A' team upset a Philadelphia professional team 4-1 to place third at the national 5-man championships. Seeded fourth entering the competition, Princeton fell in the semifinal to a loaded Connecticut professional team that would go on to defeat Trinity for the title. Led by its impressive sophomore trio, Princeton came back with an impressive win over the Philadelphia squad on Sunday to claim third.
The Princeton 'A' team, comprised of No. 1 Mauricio Sanchez, No. 2 Wong, No. 3 Hesham El Halaby, No. 4 Preston Comey and No. 5 Mike Gilman, advanced to the semifinals before it ran into the strong Connecticut pro team. Wong grabbed the only win of the weekend with a 3-0 victory over former Trinity No. 1 Bernardo Samper, who won the 2001 national collegiate individual title and lost in the 2002 final to then-freshman Yasser El Halaby. The rest of the Tigers lost 3-0 matches, including Sanchez, who dropped a tough match to Top-30 pro Liam Kenny.
Sanchez came back with a very impressive win over Philadelphia pro Imran Khan. The 9-7, 9-2, 9-7 victory over an experienced veteran shows how far Sanchez has come in a year and what a threat he will be for the 2007 national championship. Wong, El Halaby and Comey also picked up wins, including a five-game decision for No. 3 El Halaby.
The Princeton 'B' team, composed of David Canner, Vincent Yu, Brendan Bascom, James Thorman and Carter Cleveland, placed 13th overall and picked up a win in its final match.
Princeton is off until Jan. 31, when it hosts a strong Penn squad at the Jadwin squash courts. That will begin a critical week of contests, including a road match at Yale and a home tilt with defending champion Trinity.