Lucky Thirteen Earn All-American Honors for Trinity Squash Teams

Hartford, Conn., Mar. 27 - Trinity College women’s squash junior co-captain Amina Helal (Manchester, England), junior Pam Saunders (Harare, Zimbabwe) and sophomore Lynn Leong (Kota Bharu, Malaysia), and men’s squash senior co-captain Nicholas Kyme (Pembroke, Bermuda), junior Michael Ferreira (Stamford, England), and sophomore Bernardo Samper (Bogota, Colombia) were each named to the 2002-03 College Squash Association (CSA) All-American First Teams.

Junior co-captain Amina Helal

Women’s senior co-captain Clare Austin (Banbury, England), women’s freshmen Larissa Stephenson (Auckland, New Zealand), Maria Restrepo (Medellin, Colombia), and Rhea Bhandare (Bombay, India), and men’s junior Nadeem Osman (Port Elizabeth, South Africa), men’s sophomore Regardt Schonborn (Bloemfontein, South Africa), and men’s freshman Yvain Badan (Lausanne, Switzerland) all made the CSA All-American Second Teams.

The Bantam women’s team, coached by Wendy Bartlett, posted a best-ever 14-0 overall record, capturing its third straight Dual Match Season title and its second consecutive CSA Team Championship (Howe Cup) title. The Trinity men’s squad, coached by Paul Assaiante, tied the College record with a 19-0 mark and won its sixth straight Dual Match Season title and its fifth straight CSA Team Championship (Potter Trophy) title. The women own a 26-match winning streak and the men’s winning streak stands at 90 victories in a row.

Helal, a First Team All-American for the third straight year, posted a 14-2 record playing at the No. 1 position for the Bantams. She repeated as both the midseason Constable tournament champion and the CSA National Singles champion. Helal, a New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) All-Academic selection the last two years, finished as the nation’s No. 1-ranked player for the second year in a row.

Saunders, a First Team All-American selection last season and a second team selection as a freshman, posted a 9-2 mark this season, playing her way into the No. 3 position. Saunders is also a NESCAC All-Academic honoree this year. Leong, also a First Team All-American last season, had a 13-2 record this winter. She played No. 2 for the Bantams for the entire season. Saunders finished as the nation’s No. 9 player and Leong ended at No. 3.

Kyme, a three-time, First Team All-American, posted a 14-3 overall record at the No. 3 position, while Ferreira, another three-time, First Team All-American, was 8-3 playing predominantly at No. 2. Kyme finishes his fine career with a 59-10 career record, which is the third-highest win total in Trinity history. Samper, an All-American last year and the defending national singles champion, went 8-3 in his second season as the Bantam No. 1 player. Kyme finished as the nation’s No. 7 player, Ferreira ended at No. 4, and Samper was No. 3.

Austin posted a 13-4 record playing at No. 6 and Stephenson was 15-5 at No. 4. Restrepo and Bhandare tied for the team lead in wins with records of 16-3 and 16-2 (best winning percentage on the team), respectively, at No. 5 and No. 7. Austin finishes his fine career with a 51-12 career record, which is the third-highest win total in Trinity history. Austin ended as the nation’s No. 23 player, while Stephenson ended at No. 12, Restrepo at No. 14, and Bhandare at No.25.

Osman, a Second Team All-American selection last season, posted an 8-1 mark this season despite missing the first half of the year with an injury at No. 6. Badan was 14-1 in his rookie season at No. 4 and Schonborn, a 2002-03 NESCAC All-Academic selection as well, tied for the team’s best record at 12-0. Osman finished as the nation’s No. 16 player, while Badan ended at No. 14, and Schonborn was No. 15.