Matthew Toth didn't need a fancy resumé or even his own YouTube channel to bring attention to his talent. The recent National Junior Squash Championships did that for him.
The Grade 11 Burnett secondary student reached the podium in the U17 division thanks to a pair of spirited five set wins just to make the semi-finals. The result helped erase last year's disappointment when knee problems limited his mobility when the tournament made a rare appearance in B.C. Toth's performance got the attention of Harvard University coach Mike Way who attend the nationals in Markham, ON.
Way was impressed enough to encourage Toth to write his SAT Reasoning Test to make him eligible to attend an American university. Should that go well, Toth would make an official allexpenses paid visit to the fame Cambridge, MA campus - the first step towards receiving student aid for his athletic ability.
The development came as surprise to Toth who doesn't have to look far to find a local squash player attending an Ivy League school. His older sister Alex is currently in her freshman year with the Princeton Tigers.
"Some coaches were impressed with the way I played but I didn't expect that kind of interest from Harvard," said Toth. "For Ivy League schools, it's a little different with the early admission so they have to recruit earlier.
"Alex is really enjoying it, but it's a lot of hard work too. My parents want me to go but I still haven't completely decided. My other option would be to UBC or SFU."
Toth's longtime coach is Shakiru Matti who runs his own squash academy out of Sport Central in Richmond. Matti wasn't surprised to see the interest in one of his prize players and suggests it was far more than the third place finish that was impressive.
"Mentally, Matthew is a very strong player and that came out in those matches where he came back to win," said Matti. "It was so tough for him last year because the knee injury prevented him from playing at the level he is capable of. He really worked hard and battled back from it, showing how mentally tough he is. He is one of the very few I see who consistently gives all that he can.
"Basically these schools only have about five (paid) official visits they can use. The coach has to be pretty sure of the player's ability because his reputation is on the line with the school. Right now, if it's based only on squash ability then Matthew has already proven himself."
While Toth ponders his decision, he will be busy trying to earn a spot on the Canadian team that will be attending the World Junior Championships. Team trials will take place in Winnipeg or Toronto. Toth is currently ranked sixth in the country among players 19 and under.
His younger sister Andrea also continued to show her promise by reaching the U15 girls final before losing in five games to top seed Nicole Kendall of Ontario. The Grade 8 student at Burnett had roared back from a 0-2 deficit to upset No. 2 Mariam Mansoor in the semi-finals.
"I had lost to her three times before and, mentally, I was just not playing my game," said Andrea. "I was able to calm down and just play my game. I started crying afterwards because I was so stressed up.
"I went into the final almost thinking I was going to win because I had beaten my opponent before. I won the first game but then got a little too fancy with my shots. It still went five sets and it was a lesson for the future."
Andrea said her older sister is an inspiration and she would love to follow her to an Ivy League school. In the meantime, her shorter range goal is making the national junior team next year at the age of 15.
"It's a realistic goal," said Matti, who has also been working with Andrea for the last six years. "This is a girl who finished in the top four in the B.C. Open last year competing against U19 players. She is at least a year and half ahead of where Alex was at this age."
