Yasser El-Halaby, this year's Daily Princetonian male Athlete of the Year, made attending a squash match this season worthwhile. Though "Yass-man," as his fans called him, was backed by what proved to be the nation's second best squash team, there was always something different about watching him play — something different in the way he moved, in how he hit shots, and even in the way he competed. It was almost the difference between men and boys, one might say, which is not to degrade the men's squash team but instead to say that El-Halaby is a man amongst the boys he competes against. This is funny, because El-Halaby is just a freshman, and still only 18 years old. He was younger than every player he competed against, which only means that he was younger than every single player he beat. As he lost only one match the entire season, competing and winning are nearly synonymous to him.
It is almost mind-numbing to think what El-Halaby might be able to accomplish in his next three seasons at Princeton, because it seems as if he has accomplished all he possibly can in just his first try. It is unnecessary to remark that Princeton squash, and Princeton University, is very, very fortunate to have Yasser, who certainly will bring excitement to the C-Floor of Jadwin Gymnasium for what we hope to be three more glorious seasons.
The freshman was named the 'Prince's' male Athlete of the Year hands down. His spectacular season statistics speak for themselves. He claimed the collegiate squash national championship with a 3-0 defeat of senior teammate Will Evans. Playing No. 1 singles all season, El-Halaby helped the Tigers win the Ivy League title and led the team to a No. 2 finish behind Trinity in the National Team Championships.
Most impressively, in his frosh season El-Halaby lost just one match, to Trinity's Bernardo Samper on Feb. 15. Yass-man turned the tables in the Team Championships, however, winning 3-0. He also defeated Samper, the 2002 National Champion, in the National Five-Man competition in mid-December.
The freshman garnered a number of post-season accolades which deserve mention. He was named Ivy League Player and Rookie of the Year along with All-Ivy Team honors with senior teammates David Yik and Will Evans. El-Halaby was also named first-team All-American and, with his win in the finals of the intercollegiate individual championships, is college squash's finest player.
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