SQUASH CANADA HANDS OUT 2019/2020 NATIONAL AWARDS

OTTAWA, ON (June 25, 2020) — Squash Canada handed out some virtual hardware on June 19, in the annual Awards Celebration that recognizes some of the great achievements and incredible volunteers who gave their time, effort and passion to growing the game across the country, while recognizing the on-court excellence achieved by some of our most talented athletes on the international scene. Awards Presentation – Click Here

Certificate of Achievement Award:
Recognizing significant ongoing contribution to squash in Canada at the Provincial/Territorial level.

British Columbia – Jimmy Valliere

Longtime volunteer in BC including President of Nanaimo Squash Club, Squash BC Board for 6 years and has been a member of numerous committees.

Alberta – Caroline de Vries

Was instrumental in the opening of the Edmonton Squash Club and has been a driving force behind the growth and development of women in squash in Alberta as a player and official.

Saskatchewan – Thomas King

He has offered more time to coaching Saskatchewan’s top juniors and has led social distancing workouts, video training sessions and more since the COVID-19 lockdown.

Quebec – Raquel Roth

Responsible for Quebec’s Urban Squash getting started, coaching the McGill University Girls team, organizer of the Women’s Montreal Squash League and helped establish Quebec’s University Team Championship.

Manitoba – Liz Kristjansson

Introduced to squash as a ‘Squash mom’ and is now a longtime volunteer for Manitoba with roles such as Junior Team Manager for 5 years, Squash MB Board member since 2014, now its current President.

Northwest Territories – Britney Selina

In her 5 years in Inuvik, she has helped underserved/unrepresented females, organizing tournaments, and has secured grants to help keep player costs low and support female growth in squash.

Newfoundland & Labrador – Bernie & Louise Mercer

Active squash players who lost two children to rare forms of brain cancer and now give back to the NL community through memorial fundraisers. They support the Squash NL annual junior tournament through personal sponsorship and are involved in the junior awards program through an emotional/motivational presentation.

New Brunswick – Renee Blanchard

Has volunteered her time on many levels – organizing tournaments, being a fantastic ambassador for Squash and Squash NB and finally as a board member of Squash NB.

Prince Edward Island – BJ MacLean

Volunteer with the Junior Beginner programming where he has increased the number of kids participating in the program and made it fun for them to learn.

Certificate of Appreciation Award (As determined by Squash Canada): 
Recognizing the efforts of those who have made a significant contribution to the sport of squash in Canada.

  • Tournament Chairs
    • Matt Easingwood, 2019 Canadian Junior Open
    • Richard Freeman & Viktor Berg, 2020 Canadian Masters Teams Championships
    • Maxym Leclair, 2020 Canadian Women’s Teams Championships
    • David Glass, 2020 Canadian Men’s Teams Championships
    • Manu Dutt, 2020 Canadian University & College Championships
  • Tournament Referees
    • Greg van Staveren, 2019 Canadian Junior Open
    • Jimmy Valliere, 2020 Canadian Masters Teams Championships
    • Viano Oghenekevwe, 2020 Canadian Women’s Teams Championships
    • Rod McDougall, 2020 Canadian Men’s Teams Championships
    • Darrin Manley, 202 Canadian University & College Championships
  • Special Contributions
    • Diana Lee, retiring Squash Canada Discipline Chair, Appeals Officer and Privacy Officer
    • Lolly Gillen, Elected to FPS Executive Committee as Secretary General
    • Dave Howard, Viano Oghenekevwe, Andres Orozco, 2019 Pan Am Games – Canadian Officials
    • Anis Kahn, major benefactor to Squash Canada
    • Viano Oghenekevwe, major benefactor to Squash Canada

Award of Excellence: 
Recognizing the efforts of those who have achieved excellence in squash Internationally; Awarded to any National Junior Team or Senior Team or Individual player or Coach who wins a medal at any of the following events: Commonwealth Games, Pan Am Games, or World Championships.

2019 Pan Am Games (Lima, Peru)

  • Sam Cornett, Hollie Naughton, Danielle Letourneau – Silver, Women’s Team
  • Nick Sachvie, Shawn Delierre, Andrew Schnell – Bronze, Men’s Team
  • Sam Cornett, Danielle Letourneau – Silver, Women’s Doubles
  • Nick Sachvie, Shawn Delierre – Silver, Men’s Doubles
  • Hollie Naughton, Andrew Schnell – Bronze, Mixed Doubles
  • Sam Cornett, Hollie Naughton – Bronze, Women’s Individual

PSA World Tour – Event Winners

  • Sam Cornett – JC Women’s Open 2019 (CAN)
  • Hollie Naughton – The Racquet Club Pro-Series 2020 (USA)
  • Danielle Letourneau – Seattle Open 2020 (USA) / Calgary Women’s Week 2020 (CAN) / Queen City Open 2020 (CAN) / PSA Challenger Tour Female Player of the Year 2020
  • Nikole Todd – Val de Marne 2019 (FRA)
  • Shawn Delierre – Barbados Open 2019 (BRB)
  • Mike McCue – Kiva Club Open 2019 (USA)
  • Graeme Schnell – Mount Royal University Open 2020 (CAN)

Men’s SDA Pro Tour – Event Winners

  • Robin Clarke – Westchester Country Club Pro Doubles 2019 (USA)
  • David Letourneau / Kelly Shannon – Hashim Khan 2020 (USA)

Women’s SDA Pro Tour – Event Winners

  • Nikole Todd – NBCC LA Open 2019 (USA) / MFS Boston Pro Am 2020 (USA)

2019 Pan American Junior Squash Championships (Toronto, ON)

  • Charlotte Orcutt, Brianna Jefferson, Molly Chadwick, Erica McGillicuddy – Gold, Girls Team
  • Brianna Jefferson – Bronze, Girls Singles
  • Brianna Jefferson, Nikhil Ismail – Bronze, Mixed Doubles

2019 Canadian Junior Open

  • Abdullah Mahfouz, BU13 Champion
  • Gabriel Yun, BU17 Champion
  • Ocean Ma, GU13 Champion
  • Iman Shaheen, GU15 Champion
  • Molly Chadwick, GU17 Champion

2019 Scottish Junior Open

  • Veera Dhaliwal, GU11 Champion
  • Amal Izhar, GU17 Runner-up