Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Harvard (Quarterfinal)
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Men's Squash Routs Harvard, Earns Semifinal Rematch With #1 Trinity
February 19, 2010 | Men's Squash
For the fifth straight year, the Princeton men's squash team will face Trinity during the CSA national team championships. For the first time in that run, though, it will come on Semifinal Saturday. The fourth-seeded Tigers routed No. 5 Harvard 8-1 and will now get a chance to end Trinity's 11-year reign as the top team in men's college squash.
It wasn't pretty at the start for the Tigers, who came into the weekend without the services of senior tri-captain and All-America David Canner, who re-aggravated an injury and is out for the weekend. Then, in the first shift of matches (3, 6 and 9), Princeton dropped the first game in each.
But that would be the end of the team drama, as Princeton pushed forward in each match to grab a quick 3-0 lead over the Crimson. Sophomore Chris Callis took down Zeke Scherl at No. 3, and Philip Sopher won a tight second game at No. 9 before powering to a 3-1 win. The closest victory came from David Pena, who rallied in the third game at No. 6 to win 12-10 and closed the match with an 11-4 win.
With momentum firmly in its corner, Princeton took care of business in the second shift. Junior David Letourneau played near-flawless squash in sweeping the talented Richard Hill in three games, and Santiago Imberton continued his terrific season with a 3-0 win at No. 5. Clay Blackiston had the toughest match in the second set, but he won three of four close games to win at No. 8.
With victory assured, both Kelly Shannon (4) and Peter Sopher (7) claimed 3-0 wins. Harvard's lone win came at No. 1 and featured two of the three highest-ranked players in the country. The Crimson's Colin West, ranked No. 2 and likely to be named Ivy League Player of the Year, jumped out to a 2-0 lead before Todd Harrity, the probable Ivy League Rookie of the Year, rallied with wins of 11-9 and 11-4 to force a fifth. The experienced West had the answers in the finale and took the match with an 11-4 win.
Princeton will now take on Trinity, an 8-1 winner over Western Ontario Friday, at noon in the first of two semifinals at Yale. Trinity, the winner of 222 consecutive matches and 11 straight national titles, defeated Princeton 9-0 at home last weekend. Because of Canner's injury, only three matches will be rematches from last weekend, including a showdown between Harrity and two-time national champion Baset Chaudhry.