State's best squash

PALMER -- Mark Alger has brought the sport of squash to the community of Palmer. Alger, a U.S. national champion and two-time masters champion, built a squash court on his property in Palmer.

"It's the only one in the state regulation size," Alger said.

Last week Alger brought the state squash tournament to Palmer.

Moosewood Squash Centre, which is tucked away in his Palmer subdivision off Scott Road, was the site of the three-day event. The state tournament, normally hosted by the Alaska Club in Anchorage, usually attracts about a dozen participants. Fourteen participated last year. This year 36 amateur squash players competed in four different divisions at Moosewood Court.

The tournament field was diverse, featuring players such as Alger, who will also compete at the national squash championships in Seattle next week, to those who are just getting involved with the sport. Alger estimated there were more players with less than a year of squash experience, than those with more than a year of squash under their belt.

"It's a pretty easy sell," Alger said. "Once or twice and you are hooked."

At the 2004 State Squash Championships, it was the younger players who stole show.

The match of the tournament took place for the juniors championship, as Tyson Alger and Rory Egelus squared off in one of the best matches of the week-long tourney. Egelus, who is a standout athlete on the Palmer High School cross-country running and cross-country ski teams, won in five games -- and held off a furious charge by Alger in the fifth game.

After dropping the first game, Egelus won the next two. Alger then took the fourth game, setting up a memorable fifth game in which Egelus took an 8-2 lead and served for the match. Alger broke the serve and managed to come all the way back and take a 9-8 lead, and serve for the championship. Egelus took a page from Alger's book, broke the serve and then recorded two straight points to take the deciding fifth game 10-9.

In the men's open division, Mark Alger repeated as state champion with a 3-0 victory over Bob Landau. Alger, the 1981 U.S. champion, didn't drop a game in the entire tournament and won convincingly.

In the men's intermediate tournament, a woman claimed top honors. Nathalie Martin added the men's intermediate crown to her women's state championship by beating Roger Shaw 3-0 in the finals. She won the women's open by beating Dawn Alger 3-0 hours prior to her men's match.

The men's novice state championship went to Dan Quinn of Anchorage, who beat Joe Homme of Palmer

3-0.

Casey Ressler contributed to this story

2004 State Squash Championships

at Moosewood Squash Centre

Men's open

Championship -- Mark Alger def. Bob Landau, 3-0. Consolation finals -- Tom Ryan def. Peter Laliberte, 3-0. Semifinals -- Alger def. Marcus Hartley, 3-0; Landau def. Ray Johnson, 3-0. Consolation semifinals -- Laliberte def. Doug Dickey, 3-1. First-round matches -- Hartley def. Ryan, 3-0; Johnson def. Laliberte, 3-0; Landau def. Dickey 3-0.

Women's open (round robin)

Champion -- Nathalie Martin. Runner-up -- Dawn Alger. Third place -- Erin Newton. Round-robin scores -- Martin def. Alger, 3-0; Martin def. Newton, 3-0; Martin def. Pam Lewis, 3-0; Alger def. Newton, 3-0; Alger def. Lewis, 3-0; Newton def. Lewis, 3-0.

Men's intermediate

Championship -- Nathalie Martin def. Roger Shaw, 3-0. Consolation finals -- Kent Sheets def. Dave Downey, 3-0. Semifinals -- Martin def. Rory Egelus, 3-0; Shaw def. Darin Newton, 3-0. Consolation semifinals -- Downey def. Anton Andrianov, 3-1; Sheets def. Lars Stevenson, 3-0. Quarterfinals -- Martin def. Andrianov, 3-0; Egelus def. Tyson Alger 3-2; Shaw def. Sheets, 3-0; Newton def. Zachary Alger 3-0. Consolation quarterfinals -- Sheets def. D. Alger, 3-0. Opening round -- Egelus def. Downey, 3-2; Shaw def. Alger, 3-0; Newton def. Stevenson, 3-1.

Men's novice

Championship -- Dan Quinn def. Joe Homme, 3-0. Consolation finals -- Casey Ressler def. John Hundley, 3-0. Championship semifinals -- Quinn def. Russ Dunlap, 3-0; Homme def. Jim Dirks, 3-1. Consolation semifinals -- Ressler def. Dunlap, 3-1. Opening round -- Quinn def. Ressler, 3-1; Dirks def. Hundley, 3-0.

Juniors

Championship -- Rory Egelus def. Tyson Alger, 3-2. Consolation finals -- James Loria def. Cody Priest, 3-0. Championship semifinals -- Egelus def. Zachary Alger, 3-2; T. Alger def. Todd Loria, 3-2. Consolation semifinals -- J. Loria def. Kevin Thygeson, 3-0; Priest def. Richard Barnhardt, 3-1. Championship quarterfinals -- Z. Alger def. John Hundley, 3-0; Egelus def. James Homme, 3-0; T. Loria def. Anton Andrianov, 3-2; T. Alger def. Daniel Brown, 3-0. Opening round -- Hundley def. Thygeson, 3-0; Homme def. J. Loria, 3-0; T. Loria def. Barnhardt, 3-0; Brown def. Priest, 3-0.