US Squash celebrated commitment, excellence and sportsmanship in junior squash and the graduating senior class at the 2024 US Squash Junior Awards Night Saturday, March 16, at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center.
The Junior Awards Night was held following the U.S. Junior Squash Championships semifinals and featured the presentation of the DeRoy Sportsmanship Award, Age Division Sportsmanship Awards and the William T. Ketcham Jr. Award for most improved player.
The Age Division Sportsmanship Award recognizes players who had displayed outstanding sportsmanship throughout the season.
2024 Sportsmanship Award:
GU17: Ava Lin
BU17: Omair Athar
GU15: Chelsea Chen
BU15: Sanay Chandra
GU13: Vivienne Sze
BU13: Kevin Wu
GU11: Alice Wang
BU11: Cameron Stait
The William T. Ketcham Jr. Most Improved Award is given to players who have shown extraordinary commitment to the sport while significantly improving their game. (Positions improved in the US Squash national rankings this season)
2024 William T. Ketcham Jr. Most Improved Award:
GU19: Isabella Bin (56 positions)
BU19: Gabriel Feinstein (50 positions)
GU17: Riva Bhagwati (28 positions)
BU17: Naum Lekovic (70 positions)
GU15: Chelsea Chen (67 positions)
BU15: Christopher Li (101 positions)
GU13: Grace Lu (53 positions)
BU13: Friedrich Harris (82 positions)
GU11: Annabelle Birch (65 positions)
BU11: Yiden Chen (70 positions)
The ceremony ended by recognizing the graduating class of 2024 and families graduating from junior squash. Annu and Raj Navani, parents of Riya, addressed the crowd and reflected on their family’s journey in junior squash. The Navani’s reflected on the exponential growth of squash on the West Coast over the past decade over the course of Riya’s junior career, and energized the crowd for the LA28 Olympics.
Watch a replay of the Junior Awards Ceremony below:
