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Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
"Amigos" Poised To Lead Third Straight Run At Men's Squash Title
November 14, 2007 | Men's Squash
They are referred to as “The Amigos.” One comes from Mexico. Another is Malaysian, and the third is Egyptian. The central point between all three locations may not be Princeton, but that is where Mauricio Sanchez, Kimlee Wong and Hesham El Halaby joined forces two years ago.
Since they arrived on campus, Princeton has won two Ivy League championships and reached two national team finals. Now that they are upperclassmen, and they are surrounded by a talented cast of both youth and experience, they are ready for a third straight championship performance.
Sanchez took over the No. 1 spot after the graduation of Yasser El Halaby, the greatest men's player in collegiate squash history. Those were mighty footsteps for Sanchez to follow, but his results didn't indicate any nerves. He went undefeated in league play, including two 3-0 wins against eventual national champion
Siddharth Suchde, and earned Ivy League Player of the Year honors. An indefatigable player with every shot in his arsenal, Sanchez has reached the national semifinals twice and fell 3-1 in the national final last season. He should remain a top-notch No. 1 player for the next two seasons.
El Halaby and Wong has alternated the next two spots and will likely do the same for two more seasons. El Halaby has always been a creative shotmaker with athleticism in spades, but his match experience over the last two seasons has helped him build a complete game. He began to show his true potential late in his freshman season, including a five-game thriller over Trinity in the national final, and he grew into a legitimate Top 10 player last season. His upset of Gustav Detter in the 2007 national individual tournament was another sign that his game continues to grow.
Wong is a gritty and determined competitor that came to Princeton with significant international experience. He was as strong as anybody late last season, topping the No. 3 players from both Trinity and Harvard and advancing to the national quarterfinals before falling to the No. 2 seed Baset Chaudhry of Trinity. He has gone 25-2 in dual matches over the last two seasons and, like both other “Amigos,” is a two-time All-America selection.
Freshman David Letourneau was the No. 1 North American prospect this past year and could bridge the gap between the top three and the remainder of the lineup. A former Canadian team player at the World Junior Championships, Letourneau is a gifted shotmaker and strong volleyer. He brings a great work ethic that helped him win several Canadian junior championships.
The next two spots will likely belong to a pair of sophomores who may have gone slightly underappreciated last season because of the impressive performances of the top three. Make no mistake, though; Santiago Imberton and David Canner were key pieces in the 2007 championship season.
Imberton went 2-0 against Harvard last season in a pair of tight wins over the Crimson. He lost only eight points in his second win, which came in a 5-4 team win that sent Princeton to the national final. He is big and athletic, and his experience with the El Salvador national team in the Pan Am Games and World Team Championships helped him be ready for the big matches last season. He should be even more imposing this season.
Canner was one of the great surprises last season. Head coach Bob Callahan believed he could grow into a strong player in the middle of the lineup, but nobody knew what kind of wins he would produce as a freshman. In fact, Canner had the win of the year, and it propelled the Tigers to an outright Ivy League title. With his team down 3-0 and two points from losing himself, Canner rallied for a 10-9, 4-9, 6-9, 10-8, 9-6 over Garnett Booth to ignite a Tiger rally in the regular season showdown between both squads. He added a win against Yale and extended Trinity to four games before defaulting to injury.
Canner could play ahead of one of the premier big-match players of the last three Princeton seasons. Senior co-captain Tom McKay has beaten opponents from Trinity, Harvard and Yale throughout his career, and he's done it as much with heart as anything else. He is strong and consistent, but Callahan will now depend on his leadership off the court to help lead a cast of younger players.
Two veterans and two younger players will likely compete for the final two varsity spots. Senior co-captain Brendon Bascom returned in great shape, while junior Scott Callahan is back after a year abroad. Freshman Peter Sopher was the fifth-ranked U.S. junior last year, while Nikhil Seth was one of the top prep players last year as a member of the Tabor Academy. At least one or two matches seem to come down to the bottom part of the lineup each year, so Callahan will look for two competitors who can claw out a big win against the top opponents in the country.