Miguel Nava of the Santa Barbara School of Squash won the 4.5 Division title at the Decathlon Open in Santa Clara.
There was barely enough room in the car for Miguel Nava to go on a road trip to the Decathlon Open squash tournament in Santa Clara recently.
At the tournament, there wasn’t an opening in his division, so he was forced to play up a division.
That didn’t matter to the unflappable Nava. The huge underdog rose to the occasion and won the championship of the 4.5 division. He beat top-seeded Garrett Gargan in a five-set semifinal and topped No. 2 seed Jai Padmakumar in a thrilling five sets in the final.
“Miguel was determined to win,” said coach Eduardo Mendez, who lost to Gargan in an earlier match. “He played with such tenacity and used his experience, and was mentally focused to win.”
Mendez and Manoj Cooray, members of the Santa Barbara Athletic Club’s squash program, are volunteer coaches for the Santa Barbara School of Squash, a nonprofit after-school program for underprivileged kids in Santa Barbara.
Nava, 14, is the captain of the SBSOS team, and he was recently named the team’s MVP.
“Winning a 4.5 division at Miguel’s age is a huge accomplishment for any junior player,” Orla O’Doherty, director of squash at the Santa Barbara Athletic Club. “Not long ago, Miguel was barely a 4.0 player at the club level but his commitment to improve and work hard has paid off. Miguel has become a fitter young man, and this has helped with his confidence and mental toughness.
“The final match at the Decathlon Club was a tight 5-setter against a very seasoned player. The fact that Miguel was able to pull it off is s testament to how tough he has become. I predict many more victories at this level and beyond in the very near future.”
You can be sure on the next road trip to a tournament Nava is riding in the front seat.
