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Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Senior David Letourneau Wins Skillman Award For Outstanding Sportsmanship
May 17, 2011 | Men's Squash
Senior men's squash co-captain David Letourneau has earned more than his fair share of honors, from All-Ivy to All-America accolades. But the Tiger standout earned one of the sport's highest individual honors recently in the 2011 Skillman Award. Named for former Yale coach John Skillman, the award is given annually to a senior men's squash player who has demonstrated outstanding sportsmanship during his entire college career.
Coaches nominate seniors for the award, and candidates are evaluated in a number of areas, including on-court poise and demeanor, leadership, and contributions to intercollegiate squash. Candidates' skill level and ability in the game of squash are also taken into consideration, and Letourneau certainly had a distinguished college career.
“In my thirty years of playing and coaching squash, I have never met anyone who so epitomizes the ideals we preach each day to our kids – sportsmanship, fair play, respect for the opponent, effort, honesty, friendship, and love of the game,” Princeton coach Bob Callahan said.
Letourneau is a four-time All-America honoree, a former Ivy League Rookie of the Year and a multiple-time All-Ivy League selection who never lost a league match. He helped Princeton win two Ivy League team titles and reach two national team finals, including the historic 5-4 marathon loss to Trinity in the 2009 final.
As a senior, he earned National Player of the Week honors after his win over Trinity's Parth Sharma during the regular season; Sharma had been ranked second in the previous individual national rankings.