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Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
USSRA Tournament
Players Mentioned
Men's Squash Places Second At Five-Man Nationals, Falls To Hartford Pro Squad
December 10, 2007 | Men's Squash
The Princeton men's squash 'A' team made yet another exciting run to the finals of the U.S. national five-man championships, held over the weekend in New Haven, Conn. No. 1 player Mauricio Sanchez, who overcame a nagging injury to compete in the final two rounds, picked up a win in the final, but Princeton eventually fell to the Hartford Internationals in the championship match.
The semifinal and final Princeton team consisted of Sanchez, Kimlee Wong, Hesham El Halaby, David Letourneau and Santiago Imberton, while the quarterfinal team had Sanchez sit out and used Peter Sopher as the No. 5 player. Princeton had a bye in the first round and defeated the Penn Charter School in the quarters. Wong played No. 1 and defeated Christopher Callis 9-4, 2-9, 9-4, 9-4. Classmate El Halaby won 9-3, 9-1, 9-4 at No. 2, and freshman Letourneau overcame a 9-0 loss in the opener to win the final three games 9-0, 9-0 and 9-3. Both Imberton and Sopher cruised to 3-0 wins to help Princeton advance to the semifinal.
Princeton's next opponent was Team Ketcham, who advanced with a hard-fought 3-2 win over the Harvard 'A' team. The Tigers put forth a consistent performance in a 5-0 victory. The players were challenged and responded with important points in every game, a positive sign for the remainder of the league season. Sanchez topped fellow No. 1 player Michael Weston 9-0, 9-2, 9-1 in the top match, while Imberton claimed the closest win, a 5-9, 10-8, 9-10, 9-5, 9-3 victory over Josh Schwarz.
Sanchez felt good enough to play in the final and came through with a 9-1, 9-5, 9-2 victory over Ben Howell. His classmates put up respectable showings against top competitors, but neither could clinch a second win. Wong fell 9-5, 1-9, 9-4, 9-0 to Top-70 pro and former Trinity standout Regardt Schonborn, while El Halaby battled in a five-game thriller before falling in a 9-4, 3-9, 9-5, 2-9, 9-4 loss to Mick Robberds. Letourneau fell 9-5, 9-5, 5-9, 10-9 to Jacques Swanepoel and Imberton fell 9-3, 9-1, 1-9, 9-4 to Daniel Sharplin.
The Princeton 'B' team of Tom McKay, Scott Callahan, Nikhil Seth, Brendon Bascom and James Thorman finished an impressive 11th overall. Princeton will be off until Jan. 30, when the Tigers will return from break against the eight-time defending national champion Trinity Bantams in Hartford.