PIVOTAL POINT: Princeton University men’s squash player ­Kelly Shannon goes after the ball in recent action. Senior star Shannon battled through injury to help Princeton edge Trinity 5-4 two weeks ago in the College Squash Association (CSA) national team championship, ending Trinity’s 13-year run as national champion. Shannon, playing at No. 4, won his match to break a 4-all tie and clinch the crown for Princeton. (Photo Courtesy of Princeton’s Office of Athletic Communications)

After dealing with a series of injuries over the first three years of his career with the Princeton University men’s squash teams, Kelly Shannon reached the breaking point last winter.

“I was very close to quitting,” said Shannon, who had hurt his back as a freshman and then dealt with a nagging hip problem the next two seasons.

“I went into coach’s office and told him I was not having fun doing this. I was not part of the team, I couldn’t go back to dinner with the other players because I was always rehabbing and icing.”

Shannon decided to stick it out and that turned out to be a fortuitous decision for the Tiger program and squash history.

After returning for his senior campaign this winter and battling through more injuries, Shannon recorded the victory that took down a dynasty, winning the final match as Princeton edged perennial champion Trinity 5-4 in the College Squash Association (CSA) national team championship, ending the Bantams’ 13-year title run.

As Shannon and his teammates gathered before the final at Jadwin Gym on February 19, there was a sense of confidence among the Tigers.

“It was a pretty electric atmosphere; we were all ready, playing music in the locker room and making jokes,” said Shannon, a native of Calgary, Alberta who plays at No. 4 for the Tigers.

“In the past we felt we had the talent to win; we thought we had five wins in us if everything fell into place but we didn’t get ourselves in position to do it. Our win at Harvard in the regular season was huge. We built from there; we were on fire at the end. The biggest difference is that we felt like we earned it, not just waiting for it to happen.”

Even though Princeton was down 4-2 when Shannon took the court for his match against Trinity’s Reinhold Hergeth, he had a feeling that things would turn out OK.

“I actually thought it might go that way,” said Shannon, who was joined in the final shift by teammates Todd Harrity at No. 1 and Dylan Ward at No. 7.

“The biggest mismatches for us were in the final shift, matches that I thought would go our way the majority of the time. I was still nervous but confident.”

Shannon had to work through some nerves in pulling out the first game of his match.

“I came out, the crowd was crazy and the new ball was flying,” recalled Shannon, who fell behind early before rallying to a 13-11 win in game one.

“It was tough to settle in right away. I relied on my match experience. I got into my zone; I was playing my game.

After taking the second game 11-8, Shannon hit a rough patch in the next game.

“I go up 5-0 and then he fights back to 5-5,” said Shannon. “I was getting a little nervous; he made me work hard. He was starting to hit the wall, I didn’t have to do anything special, just tighten up my game.”

As Shannon pulled ahead, he didn’t want to get tighter and tried to take his mind off the gravity of the situation.

“I had in the back of my mind that it was the last match but I wanted to block that out,” said Shannon.

“I blocked it out intentionally but when I saw people come over from Todd’s match, I kind of knew what was going on.”

When Shannon prevailed 11-9 to win the match and the elusive title, he didn’t know quite how to react.

“It was so surreal, I thought I would celebrate more,” said Shannon, who had won his match in the epic 2009 CSA final which saw Princeton drop a 5-4 heartbreaker to Trinity.

“I felt like a weight was lifted. We had talked about this for years. It was hanging over the squash world for 13 years. Now I can breathe again, I wanted it so bad.”

For Shannon, the win made his struggles worthwhile. “I have had a tough college career; I have had hip injuries the previous two years,” said Shannon, who will end his college career this weekend by competing in the CSA individual championships at Amherst College.

“I then had a shoulder injury in the fall and twisted my ankle when I got back from that. I found a routine to keep the hip injury calm. What is key for me is feeling comfortable, getting my timing back, and playing my game.”

Longtime Princeton head coach Bob Callahan was comfortable having the title match resting on Shannon’s shoulders.

“I couldn’t think of another guy I would want out there other than Shannon when it was 4-all,” asserted Callahan, who is in his 30th season at the helm of the Princeton program and last led the Tigers to the national crown in 1993.

“This year, he was all about the team. He cared so deeply; he called me everyday and said what could I do to help the team.”

The win over Trinity touched past and present Princeton team members.

“I got 500 e-mails the next day,” said Callahan. “The former players were so happy, they had been saddled with the losses to Trinity. Mauricio Sanchez (former Tiger star and 2009 Princeton alum) sent me an e-mail, saying it was the happiest day of his life. I think it is wonderful for the program and wonderful for the kids. We had nine competitors, everyone won at least two matches in the tournament.

Like Shannon, Callahan wasn’t sure how to celebrate after the win. “I wouldn’t allow myself to breathe until the last point,” said Callahan. “It was not elation, it was a relief. I could exhale after all these years. Paul [Trinity coach Paul Assaiante] was the first guy to come and give me a hug.”

Callahan has gained a lot of affection for his championship squad. “They showed guts all season and a belief that they could make it happen,” said Callahan, who credited Shannon and classmates Chris Callis, Clay Blackiston, and David Pena with providing inspired senior leadership.

“On one Sunday in 2012, things came together for a bunch of good kids who had been working hard for a long time. They brightened the lives of former Princeton players and supporters.”

The championship campaign has left Shannon with memories that will last for a long time.

“I will never forget this year’s team, not because we won but because we went through so much together,” said Shannon.

“Chris Callis and I were the senior captains and we were going to whip the team into shape but once you get down to it we couldn’t do everything because of schedules and people missing practices. We did do as much as we could. We had mandatory runs for the first time; we did lots of track work and did some tough fitness stuff. We got through the whole thing as a team. Different people stepped up at different times. We came together as a team. The chemistry was there and that is what made the difference.”