Sanchez dominant at No. 1

After being dominated by an Egyptian in a Tiger uniform for four years, Princeton foes are getting little rest with another foreigner leading the men's squash team. Junior Mauricio Sanchez may hail from Mexico rather than Egypt like Yasser El-Halaby '06, but he still strikes fear into his opponents, especially after he went on an 11-1 tear last year at the No. 1 spot. Though he's currently nursing a hamstring injury, he's expected to return to practice this week.

En route to a No. 2 end-of-season ranking by the Collegiate Squash Association, he won the Ivy League Player of the Year award as a sophomore as well as All-American honors. Head coach Bob Callahan '77, for one, is a big fan.

"Mau is a real gem — I feel very fortunate to have him on the team," Callahan said.

Unlike El-Halaby, Sanchez wasn't an instant sensation. Instead, he has continually improved since his freshman season.

"Mau has improved dramatically since he arrived two years ago. He was originally just a retriever, chasing his opponents' shots down," Callahan said. "Over the two years, through his own hard work, he has became a much more diverse player with very good attacking shots like drops and boasts."

Sanchez attended high school in Mexico, where he played for the Junior and Senior Mexican squash teams and reached the semifinals of last year's national championship. He then completed a postgraduate year at The Lawrenceville School before coming to Princeton.

"I was thinking of playing professionally, but then I thought, 'oh wait, it might be better to study,' so I talked to some of the U.S. coaches," Sanchez said. "They told me I should take a [post graduate] year to acclimate to the U.S."

From his decision to postpone professional squash, it's no surprise that he's a serious scholar.

"I basically study all the time," Sanchez said. "Not all the time; just the time I'm not playing squash."

But the scholar is just as dedicated on the court, where his hard work and optimistic attitude has allowed him to take his game to the next level.

"He is so systematic and organized in his training, it is no surprise he has improved so much," Callahan said. "I have never met anyone who genuinely loves the game of squash as much as Mauricio."

Squash is not very popular in Mexico, but Sanchez got started around age 9 with the help of an active family and an accomplished coach.

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"In my neighborhood there were a few squash courts. All my family started playing squash — my mom, my dad, my cousins," Sanchez said. "So I went there one day, to take a lesson from a coach. He was really good, like, the number one player in Mexico. Instead of playing soccer like everyone else, I started playing squash."

His secret to success is simple:

"I don't take time off from squash," Sanchez said. "I go to the national center in Mexico and play with my friends who don't go to school anymore and are nationally ranked. It's a great learning experience."

Despite his success in squash, after graduating from the University he may not pursue squash full time. Instead, he is interested in a business career.

"I actually would just like to go to business school," Sanchez said. "I think I just want to get a job ... I want to continue playing squash, though maybe only semi-pro or a few tournaments."

Regardless of his choice, his personality will serve him well. When asked to describe Sanchez in four words, Callahan said he was, "delightful, driven, disciplined [and] optimistic."

Those certainly sound like characteristics that aren't just applicable to squash.