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Princeton University Athletics
Squash-ed
February 14, 2000 | Men's Squash
Feb. 13, 2000
Cambridge, Mass. - Princeton men's squash coach Bob Callahan allowed himself to dream a little before his team embarked upon the current season.
"This freshman class has a chance to be the best class we've ever had," he said of his four-deep group."
What do you do when reality eclipses your dream? Wake up, Bob Callahan. You were right.
Princeton's freshman class, with some huge help from a senior, helped knock off Harvard 5-4 Sunday afternoon, ending the Crimson's 10-year reign as the league's men's squash kings and giving Princeton its first Ivy crown since 1982.
Senior Peter Yik, battling an ankle injury and leg cramps, outlasted Tim Wyant 9-15, 15-5, 15-8, 17-14 at the No. 1 match to snap a 4-4 tie and give Princeton the deciding point. Yik's win came in a rematch of last year's national individual championship match, also won by Yik.
But the real story this day was the freshman class. Princeton a year ago went 0-3 against Harvard and Yale, so Callahan literally searched the globe for his four-man class, plucking players from as near as Philadelphia and as far as Canada and New Zealand.
The result was four freshmen in the top six of the lineup, and three of those four came up with wins against Harvard. David Yik, Peter's brother, won at No. 2, and classmates Eric Pearson (No. 4) and Will Evans (No. 5) also won.
The other Princeton point came from junior Harrison Gabel at No. 8.
No match on the day was decided in fewer than four games.
Princeton hosts defending national champion Trinity and Franklin & Marshall this weekend.