Princeton University Athletics
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Princeton Claims National Best Five All-Americas, Including 1st-Team Trio
April 07, 2015 | Women's Squash
The Princeton women's squash team provided a thrilling postseason run in both the team and individual championships, and they were rewarded with a CSA-best five All-America honors Tuesday.
Princeton had five players take home All-America honors, including three who earned First-Team honors (also the most for any CSA team). Senior Nicole Bunyan put her name on Princeton's Top-10 All-America board in her final opportunity, while 2015 Ivy League Rookie of the Year Olivia Fiechter will also have her name added to the board. Those two join sophomore Maria Elena Ubina, the 2014 Ivy League Rookie of the Year, who was third Tiger to earn First-Team honors.
Senior captain Alex Lunt and junior Rachel Leizman both earned Second-Team All-America honors; it was the first All-America honor for either Princeton player.
Bunyan's run to the Top 10 was arguably the most dramatic of the postseason. She entered the CSA individual championships ranked 11th nationally, and she staked her claim to First-Team honors with a second-round win over Penn's Yan Xin Tan.
If that win staked a claim, the next one basically solidified. In an epic quarterfinal, Bunyan stunned third-seeded Danielle Letourneau of Cornell 11-9, 10-12, 11-9, 17-19, 12-10 to reach her first semifinal round. Her run ended at the hands of three-time finalist Kanzi El Defrawy, but her performance was enough to clinch the First-Team honor.
Her name will join Fiechter, who also reached the CSA semifinal before losing to four-time champion Amanda Sobhy of Harvard. Fiechter was seeded fourth and made it through the first two rounds before facing a daunting opponent in the quarterfinals — Ubina, her teammate. The two Tiger underclassmen went five games before Fiechter rallied for an 8-11, 10-12, 11-6, 11-8, 11-8 victory.
That win gave Fiechter 11 victories on the season, though it was four behind Ubina, who was undefeated at the No. 2 spot throught the team season. She was pushed to five games twice in the Howe Cup, but each time she had the answers in the fifth game. The duo of Fiechter and Ubina, both of whom have at least two seasons remaining in Orange and Black, gives Princeton a strong foundation for the near future.
Both Lunt and Leizman had strong postseason runs as well to claim Second-Team honors. Lunt went 2-1 at the Howe Cup and added a first-round win at the individual championships, while Leizman went all the way to the consolation finals at individuals; she defeated two All-Americas during the run, and dropped the final 3-1 to a third honoree.