Stanford University’s women’s squash program, led by Head Coach Mark Talbott and Associate Head Coach Nick Talbott, have earned the 2024 Chaffee Award, awarded to the women’s team that exhibited the highest level of sporting behavior throughout the season. The award recipient was announced on Saturday, March 9 prior to the Ramsay Cup semifinal at the 2024 CSA National Collegiate Individual Championships in Philadelphia.
This is the third time that Stanford has received the Chaffee Award, with the team also earning the award in 2019 and 2013 under Mark Talbott’s leadership. Stanford finished a successful season this year by ending the season ranked 5th in the country.
“It’s an honor for Stanford Squash to accept the 2024 Chaffee Award for Team Sportsmanship. We feel lucky to coach this team and we’re developing a strong culture of hard workers with kind souls who support one another. All of our women embody this award and exemplify sportsmanship on and off the court.
I’d like to dedicate this award to David Talbott, who led the Yale team with wonderful sportsmanship, and passed on these attributes to my father who passed it onto myself and this team. We’re building leaders here at Stanford and the future looks bright” Nick Talbott, shares.
The Chaffee Award is given annually to a women’s team coach whose team has demonstrated the qualities of sportsmanship, teamwork, character, and improvement. Coaches discussed with their team which team they felt is deserving of this award based on those qualities. Coaches then submitted their nominations and voting took place online leading up to the Championships.
In 1987, the women’s squash team at Williams College donated the award in honor of the college’s former coach, Clarence C. Chaffee. Chaffee began Williams’s squash program in 1938, coached the school’s first intercollegiate team in 1939, and led the program until his retirement in 1970.
Dickinson College, Bowdoin College and Tufts University were the other leading vote-getters for the 2024 Chaffee Award.
