.png&width=24&type=webp)
Princeton University Athletics
1999-2000 Men's Squash Outlook
September 10, 1999 | Men's Squash
Princeton men's squash coach Bob Callahan talks about the 1998-99 season with fondness. He talks about the 1999-2000 season with an emotion that borders on euphoria.
The reason? A dynamic incoming class that goes four deep and is the missing piece in the Tiger puzzle. Add that group to a pair of outstanding returning players up top and a strong group of players who gained invaluable experience when they were thrown into the fire last year, and Princeton is ready to take a run at Trinity, Harvard and Yale.
“Last year we were able to beat all of the teams ranked fifth and below,” says Callahan, “but we couldn't beat Trinity, Harvard or Yale. That's what we want to be able to do.”
To illustrate Callahan's point, Princeton was 11-0 against teams not called Trinity, Harvard and Yale and 0-5 against teams that were. The Tigers' top four players were very strong last season, but the team had question marks after that. The main reason was that Princeton asked five players to make the jump from 9-10-14-15-16 to 5-6-7-8-9, which wasn't easy.
This time around, things may be different, even with the graduation of All-Americas Amir Give'on at No. 2 and Alan Cantlin at No. 3. It starts with Peter Yik, who returns for his senior year as Princeton's No. 1 player and the defending individual national champion. Yik, the 1999 Ivy League Player of the Year and a first-team All-America, had a nearly perfect junior year.
“I've been involved with Princeton squash as a player and coach for 25 years,” Callahan says. “In terms of absolute raw athletic ability, he is one of the best players I've seen. He can be one of the top players in Princeton history, and that's saying something. That's how good he is.”
Even better news is that there will be two Yiks on the team this fall. Peter's younger brother David heads the list of incoming freshmen as he makes the same trip from North Vancouver to Princeton that his brother did.
“All four freshmen are very strong,” Callahan says. “I'm very excited about this group. This could be the best freshman class we've ever had.”
The class has a definite international flair, as three of the four are foreign players. Yik and Danny Rutherford are Canadians, while Will Evans is from New Zealand. The fourth, Eric Pearson, is from Philadelphia.
Those four will join a lineup that features Peter Yik and another returning All-America, Peter Kelly. The 1999 Ivy League Rookie of the Year, Kelly figures to compete for the No. 2 spot after playing No. 4 last year.
Chris LaPorte (No. 9) and Steve Lilley (No. 6) graduated, but the Tigers do return three other varsity players. Junior captain Marshall Sebring played No. 5 last year after playing No. 9 two years ago, and he will find himself in the middle of the lineup. Juniors Harrison Gabel and Randolph McEvoy, who played seven and eight, also return. There are eight other players who will compete for spots.
“Last year was the most enjoyable year I've had as a coach,” Callahan says. “We asked a lot of some of our guys, and they got a lot of experience. They were the hardest working group I've ever had. Now we have some new guys to mix in, and we won't have to have so many people playing higher than they should. It should be a very strong year for us, and we're all looking forward to it.”