The James DeRoy Sportsmanship Award is presented each year at the U.S. Junior Closed Championships (Gold). This award is given annually to one male and one female ranked junior U.S. Squash member who has best represented and demonstrated the principles of fair play and sportsmanship on and off the court during their junior squash careers. This year’s recipients are Jason Michas (New York, NY) and Natasha Kingshott (Greenwich, CT). The DeRoy Testamentary Foundation of Detroit (MI) has been a generous patron of deserving junior endeavors for several decades. For over 15 years, it has contributed to U.S. Squash junior development.
Michas, a senior at the Collegiate School, finished the year ranked No. 8 in the country and was the primary leader in organizing a team so his school could participate in the U.S. High School Championships. He will be attending Harvard University in the fall. Kingshott, currently a senior at Greenwich Academy, played No. 1 for her school and led her team to victory this year’s High School Championships. She will also be attending Harvard University.
This year is also the second year that the William T. Ketcham Award has been presented. The award is endowed by Treddy Ketcham, former president of the USSRA (1965-67) and one of squash’s most influential, beloved figures. The Ketcham Award is presented to one male and one female ranked junior squash player who has improved his or her game substantially over the past season. This year’s recipients of the Ketcham Cup are Stephanie Vogel (West Hartford, CT) and Lucas Hedges (Brooklyn, NY).
Vogel, a 17-year-old senior at Kingswood-Oxford, will be attending the University of Pennsylvania. Twelve year old Hedges attends St. Anns school in Brooklyn.
