Princeton University
Harvard
Beck, Siverd Give Princeton Ivy Men's Squash Title
February 10, 2002 | Men's Squash
Feb. 10, 2002
Cambridge, Mass. - Bob Callahan was wrong - and thrilled about it.
The Princeton men's squash coach figured his team needed to win the top five matches to defeat Harvard Sunday afternoon. Though it didn't quite follow that script, there were no complaints from Callahan or the Tigers when it was over.
Rob Siverd at No. 8 and Nathan Beck at No. 9 both rallied to win their matches as Princeton knocked off Harvard 5-4 to win the Ivy League championship.
"It looked like we were going to lose for 95% of the match," said Callahan. "Then we pulled it out in the last 5%."
Princeton won its second Ivy League title in the last three years after Harvard had won the previous 10. Princeton and Harvard have now played three straight 5-4 matches to decide the Ivy League crown.
Princeton's run to the championship included another 5-4 thriller eight days earlier against Yale at Jadwin Gym, a match that put the Tigers in position to take the crown with a win against the Crimson. When Princeton did so two years ago, the deciding point came from Peter Yik at No. 1. This time, the heroics were at the other end of the lineup. Will Evans won at No. 1, and Dan Rutherford (No. 3) and Peter Kelly (No. 4) also picked up wins for the Tigers. But Harvard was able to sneak out points at No. 2 when James Bullock shocked defending national champion David Yik and at No. 5, where Michael Blumberg knocked off Eric Pearson, last week's hero, in three games.
Those results would have done Princeton in had it not been for the bottom two. Harvard would win at No. 6 and No. 7 as well, but Siverd and Beck would both rally for their victories.
Siverd's would come at 3-2 after he trailed 2-1, while Beck rallied from 8-3 down in the third game to win 10-9 before closing out the match 9-5 in the fourth game.
Princeton (8-0, 6-0) 5, Harvard (6-2, 4-1) 4
No. 1 Will Evans (P) d. Dylan Patterson 3-0
No. 2 James Bullock (H) d. David Yik 3-0
No. 3 Dan Rutherford (P) d. Isaac Witman 3-0
No. 4 Peter Kelly (P) d. David Barry 3-0
No. 5 Michael Blumberg (H) d. Eric Pearson 3-0
No. 6 Thomas Storch (H) d. Dent Wilkens 3-0
No. 7 Asher Hochberg (H) d. Aaron Zimmerman 3-1
No. 8 Rob Siverd (P) d. Tomohrio Hamakawa 3-2
No. 9 Nathan Beck (P) d. Ryan Abraham 3-1