The Hamilton College men's squash team received the prestigious Sloane Award for team sportsmanship during the 2010 College Squash Association team championships at Yale University on Feb. 20.
The sportsmanship award is the second for Hamilton in the last three years. The award is voted on by the coaches and is presented to the team to have best displayed the highest level of sportsmanship during the season.
Head coach Jamie King was the first individual to receive the award as a player (as captain of the 1984 Williams College team) and as a coach in 2008 when it was presented to the Continentals the first time.
Hamilton won two matches at the team championships and earned the consolation bracket title for the Summers Cup “C” Division. The Continentals achieved a final ranking of 21st by virtue of a 5-4 victory against Stanford University on Feb. 21.
An award for team sportsmanship was first given in 1981. The team that won the award that year -- Williams -- was coached by Sean Sloane. A nationally ranked hardball player, Sloane had been coaching both squash and tennis at Williams since the 1970s, and his teams were known for their spirit and sportsmanship.
Sloane eventually left Williams to serve as director of the USTA’s Education and Recreation program, but when he returned to coaching in 1997 at Haverford, his teams continued to be recognized for their sportsmanship. The award was renamed in Sloane’s honor in 2005.
