The College Squash Association (CSA) has announced its 2019 Hall of Fame class, which includes five players and two coaches. Each inductee will be honored at one of two ceremonies scheduled for the second day of each CSA National Team Championship weekend.
The 2019 College Squash Hall of Fame class members are:
Players:
- Daniel Ezra, Harvard University Class of 1998
- Jordanna Fraiberg, Harvard University Class of 1994
- Amina Helal, Trinity College Class of 2004
- Palmer Page, University of Pennsylvania Class of 1972
- Michelle Quibell, Yale University Class of 2006
Coaches:
- Wendy Bartlett, Trinity College
- David Talbott, Yale University
Bartlett, Fraiberg, and Helal will be inducted at a ceremony scheduled prior to the semifinal matches at the CSA Women’s National Team Championships at Trinity College on Saturday, February 23. The ceremony for Talbott, Ezra, Page, and Quibell will take place at Quibell’s alma mater, Yale University, prior to the semifinal matches at the CSA Men’s National Team Championships on Saturday, February 16.
“We are very excited to recognize this outstanding class of individuals who have performed at the highest level of college squash and who have made an extraordinary impact on our game,” said CSA Executive Director and League Commissioner David Poolman. “The Hall of Fame Committee did an excellent job narrowing down a very impressive list of candidates to construct this year’s class.”
Daniel Ezra, Harvard Class of 1998, won the Pool Trophy (College Squash Men’s Individual National Champion) in 1996 during his sophomore year after making the final the year prior. That title, along with team Ivy League and National Championships in his first two years, was only the start of an illustrious career at Harvard for Ezra. Upon his graduation, Ezra had led his team to four Potter Cup (CSA Men’s National Team) Championships and four Ivy League Championships while earning two more Pool Trophy finals berths. His individual accolades include three First Team All-America selections, four First Team All-Ivy League selections, two Ivy League Player of the Year awards (1997, 1998), and the Ivy League Rookie of the Year honor (1995).
Jordanna Fraiberg, Harvard Class of 1994, is a two-time Ramsay Cup (College Squash Women’s Individual National Champion) winner with historic distinction: in 1992 she won the title playing hardball squash only to win again two years later when the college game had switched to softball. Fraiberg won two team national championships with Harvard in 1993 and 1994 and three Ivy League Championships from 1992 to 1994. The two-time Ivy League Player of the Year also earned First Team All-America and First Team All-Ivy League honors for all four years of her career. In one other unique feat, Fraiberg won the Ramsay Cup in 1992, the same year that her brother, Jeremy, won the Pool Trophy for Harvard. In doing so, they became the only sister-brother duo in intercollegiate squash history to win their respective national singles titles and in the same year, no less.
Amina Helal, Trinity Class of 2004, is also a two-time Ramsay Cup winner, capturing the titles in her sophomore and junior seasons (2002 and 2003, respectively), bookending them with appearances in the finals in 2001 and 2004. During her two individual championship seasons, Helal also led her team to back-to-back Howe Cup (College Squash Women’s Team National Championship) victories during which the team went an undefeated 25-0. While playing in the No. 1 position for Trinity for all four years, Helal amassed a record of 65-8 and capped her career by earning the Betty Richey Award in 2004, given annually to the woman who best exemplifies the ideals of squash in her love of the game, sportsmanship, and high level of play.
Palmer Page, Penn Class of 1972, is a “force of nature” according to current Director of Squash at Penn, Jack Wyant, and his resume backs up that claim. Page won the Pool Trophy in 1971 as a junior and was a key member of the Penn team that won the Six-Man Team Trophy that same year, halting Harvard’s streak of five consecutive titles. A three-time First Team All-Ivy League selection, Page captained the Penn squash team during his senior year and amassed a 15-3 record over his final two seasons, including an undefeated record in Ivy League play. Page’s impact on the game of squash has extended beyond his performance in college. Notably, Page has served on the US Squash Board several times and later became US Squash’s first Chief Executive Officer in 2003. Page continues to be a steward for the college game, especially at his alma mater. In taking a leadership role in Penn’s Squash Board, he helped plan the 125th anniversary celebration for Penn Squash, a gathering which energized the effort to raise funding for and renovate Penn’s squash facility, scheduled to open in late 2019.
Michelle Quibell, Yale Class of 2006, is the third two-time Ramsay Cup champion included in this illustrious Hall of Fame class. In fact, the national singles championship mantle was passed from fellow 2019 inductee Amina Helal to Quibell when Quibell won the 2004 championship over Helal at the end of her sophomore season. Quibell’s individual success was only exceeded by that of her team, with the Yale women winning three Howe Cups in a row during her last three years on campus (2004-2006). Those three Yale teams each won the Ivy League Championship that year, with Quibell picking up Ivy League Player of the Year honors in 2004 and 2005. She finished her career by earning the Betty Richey Award in 2006, supported by four years of First Team All-America and First Team All-Ivy League awards.
Wendy Bartlett is leading the Trinity College Women’s Squash team for her 35th season this year, and as she has done for much of her career, she has the Bantam women in the hunt for a national team championship. Bartlett’s teams have won three Howe Cups, including back-to-back victories in 2002 and 2003 with fellow 2019 inductee Amina Helal playing in the No. 1 position. Eleven years after the first two championships, the Trinity women again reached the pinnacle of the college game with a Howe Cup victory in 2014. Along with the three titles, Trinity has finished as a Howe Cup finalist four times. In the 34 seasons prior to this year, Bartlett’s teams have consistently produced impressive results, winning matches almost 80 percent of the time (406-109 overall record) and earning all 12 NESCAC championships since the tournament was established. On an individual level, 40 of Bartlett’s players have earned All-America honors under her guidance.
David Talbott entered his 36th year as squash coach at Yale this season, and he is being honored as much for his contributions to the college game off the court as his teams’ results on the court. Involved in many CSA organization innovations and transitions, Talbott has been an ambassador, administrator, and coach in the game since beginning his career at Yale in 1983. Yale has maintained its status as one of the most successful and recognizable college programs in the nation through several generations of players. As the coach of the men’s team, Talbott won back-to-back national team championships in 1989 and 1990, only to return to the top of the podium 26 years later in 2016. On the women’s side, after taking over for his highly successful brother, Mark, Talbott earned three additional team championships: back-to-back in 2005 and 2006 (with fellow 2019 inductee Michelle Quibell leading the team in the No. 1 position) and then again in 2011. Talbott’s teams have also won eight Ivy League Championships – 3 women’s and 5 men’s. Talbott’s legacy at Yale and in college squash circles will be remembered for years to come.
More information regarding the induction ceremonies will be available in the coming weeks. Please check back on the website and follow the CSA on Twitter (@CollegeSquash), Instagram (@college_squash), and Facebook (@CollegeSquash) for future announcements.
For more information about the College Squash Hall of Fame, please visit https://csasquash.com/about/hall-of-fame. If you would like to make a donation in honor of one of the inductees, please do so here.
