Trinity's Pelaez One Of Three Finalists For National Award by David Kingsley February 19, 2014 - Hartford, Conn.
- Trinity College senior co-captain Catalina Pelaez (Bogota, Colombia)
was selected as one of three women's squash finalists for the
prestigious Richey Award, given annually to the women's player who best
exemplifies the ideals of squash in her love of and devotion to the
game, her strong sense of fairness, and her excellence of play and
leadership. Pelaez was nominated along with Princeton's Libby
Eyre and Yale's Millie Tomlinson. Voting for the award will take
place at the College Squash Association (CSA) National Team
Championships (Howe Cup) at Princeton this weekend.
Trinity, coached by
Wendy Bartlett (30th Season), completed its best dual-match season
since 2003 with a 12-1 record, thanks to an 8-1 victory over Princeton
on Saturday, and should be the No. 2 seed in the Howe Cup this
weekend. The Bantams also captured their eighth consecutive New
England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Championship crown
in early February.
Pelaez, a two-year
captain and a four-year occupant at the No. 1 and/or No.2 spot in
the Trinity lineup, is a perfect this season with a team-high 12 wins
and zero losses. She is a three-time CSA All-American and
All-NESCAC First Teamer and won NESCAC Player of the Year honors in
both 2011 and 2012. Pelaez finished ranked among the nation's top
ten players in each of her first three seasons, including No. 2 in her
rookie season when she was also named the NESCAC Rookie of the
Year. After reaching the CSA Singles Championship Quarterfinals
in 2011, she has won consolation tournaments in the event the last two
seasons. Pelaez was also honored as the Trinity women's squash's
recipient on the NESCAC All-Sportsmanship Team a year ago. She
currently ranks sixth all-time at Trinity with 55 wins against just 14
losses in her fine career. A graduate of Colegio Nueva Grandada
in her native Colombia, where she has been a celebrated member of its
National teams, Pelaez is majoring in studio arts with a minor in
Italian at Trinity. She is the daughter of Ana Lucia Casasfranco
and Armando Pelaez.
