Two senior leaders who have been instrumental in the Rochester squash teams rise to prominence have been nominated for the most prestigious award by the College Squash Association (CSA), the Skillman Award.
 
Seniors Ryosei Kobayashi and classmate Mario Yanez Tapia each were nominated and then chosen as finalists for the award which will be given out at this weekend's CSA Championships.  The two Yellowjackets are part of a group of just three finalists selected by the CSA Executive Committee from a pool of seven nominees.
 
The Skillman Award is given annual to a senior men's squash player who has demonstrated outstanding sportsmanship during his entire college career. This award is named for former Yale coach John Skillman, who led the Bulldogs to multiple national titles in over 40 years leading the team.
 
Players are evaluated based on their on-court poise and demeanor, skill level and ability in the game of squash, team play, contributions to intercollegiate squash, leadership, and cooperation with players, coaches, and tournament officials. The Executive Committee selects the winner at the National Team Championships.
 
Kobayashi has made an immediate impact on the Yellowjackets since his arrival four seasons ago.  The three-time 1st Team All-American produced the best ever result at the CSA Individual Championships by a Rochester player last season, finishing runner-up in the Pool (A) Division and finishing the season as the #2 ranked individual.  He currently boasts a 64-15 record in his career, is third all-time in wins at UR and is second in winning percentage (.810).  This season, he captured the prestigious Price-Bullington Invitational in November and has played all but one match at the #1 position for Rochester, compiling a 7-4 record against some of the top players in the country.
 
Yanez is equally as decorated and currently ranks second in Rochester history in wins and is first all-time in winning percentage, currently holding a 65-13 record with a win percentage of .833 during his four seasons.  He also is a three-time 1st Team All-American and reached the semifinals of the CSA Individual Championships last season, a feat which only had been accomplished twice before last season by a UR player.  Yanez ended the year as the #4 ranked individual in the CSA and has been nearly perfect this season, posting a 13-1 overall record, playing in the top-3 in UR's ladder every match.
 
Both Kobayashi and Yanez were a part of Rochester's banner year last season as they helped the Yellowjackets to wins over Penn and #1 Trinity in the CSA Potter Cup Tournament, reaching UR's first ever national championship match.  The Yellowjackets ultimately lost that final match to host Yale, but finished the season ranked #2, the highest ever season ending ranking by a UR program.  Earlier this season, the two helped Rochester reach the pinnacle of college squash, achieving a #1 ranking for the first time in program history on January 27th.
 
Rochester has had one previous Skillman Award winner, coming back in 2012 when Benjamin Fischer was selected as the recipient.  Fischer was a four-time All-American player for UR, earning three 1st Team honors while posting a career record of 50-25.