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Princeton University Athletics
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Trinity Extends Streak With Tough 6-3 Victory Over Tiger Men's Squash
February 13, 2011 | Men's Squash
Despite a breakthrough win for senior David Letourneau over his top nemesis in college squash, the Princeton men's squash team fell short of ending Trinity's 225-match win streak Sunday afternoon at the Jadwin Squash Courts. Despite the 6-3 loss, Princeton proved this weekend that it was a true challenger for the 2011 CSA team championship, which will be held in two weeks at Harvard.
The match was played in a three-shift format, and it became apparent immediately that it would be a long and tough day of squash for both teams. Princeton won the first game in the match at No. 6 between David Pena and Trinity's Antonio Diaz Glez, while the Bantams picked up 12-10 wins at Nos. 3 and 9. The first point of the match came at No. 9, where Trinity's Juan Flores controlled the final two sets for a 3-0 win over Nikhil Seth, who won a marathon the day before against No. 4 Rochester.
Princeton No. 3 Christopher Callis battled back from his 12-10 loss in the opener against Andres Vargas to win the second game 11-9. Like Flores, Vargas was in command over the final two games and won 11-4 and 11-2 to open a 2-0 Trinity edge.
Diaz Glez, who lost to Pena in the CSA team semifinal last season, rallied in the final three games to defeat his countryman 11-5, 11-5, 11-5 to build a 3-0 Bantam lead.
Princeton needed a big effort in the second shift, and it got it from Letourneau and junior Clay Blackiston at the No. 8 position. Blackiston used wins of 11-9 and 15-13 to earn a 3-1 win over Reinhold Hergeth for the Tigers' first point of the match.
While Trinity veteran Randy Lim put his team on the brink of victory with a 3-0 win at No. 5, Letourneau was playing one of the best matches of his All-America career. Sharma had won four straight over Letourneau, including a five-set marathon in the 2009 national team final, but Letourneau made his final home match a memorable one with a 10-12, 11-7, 11-3, 11-5 victory. The win kept Princeton alive, and it also established Letourneau as a name to watch in both the CSA team and individual championships.
Princeton needed perfection in the third shift, but perfection is a lot to ask against a team that hasn't lost since the Clinton administration. Despite losing his first game, Trinity's Johan Detter turned his No. 7 match around against Peter Sopher to win 3-1 and clinch the team victory.
The Tigers split the final two matches, with sophomore No. 1 Todd Harrity continuing a perfect regular season with a hard-fought 3-0 win over Trinity's Vikram Malhotra. Harrity's steady play kept him in control of the match, and though Malhotra pushed him in each game, the top-ranked player in squash was too strong at the end.
The final match of the day went the distance, as Kelly Shannon rallied from a 2-0 deficit with wins of 11-7 and 11-6 to force a fifth, but Binnie ended the match with an 11-4 victory.
Princeton will conclude its regular season next weekend with a match at Navy.
1 - Todd Harrity (P) d. Vikram Malhotra 11-6, 11-7, 11-6
2 - David Letourneau (P) d. Parth Sharma 10-12,11-7,11-3,11-5
3 - Andres Vargas (T) d. Christopher Callis 12-10,9-11,11-4,11-2
4 - Chris Binnie (T) d. Kelly Shannon 11-7,11-8,7-11,6-11,11-4
5 - Randy Lim (T) d. Peter Sopher 11-3,11-8,11-7
6 - Antonio Diaz Glez (T) d. David Pena 7-11,11-5,11-5,11-5
7 - Johan Detter (T) d. Peter Sopher 8-11,11-2,11-5,11-4
8 - Clay Blackiston (P) d. Reinhold Hergeth 11-9,15-13,4-11,11-6
9 - Juan Flores (T) d. Nikhil Seth 12-10,11-6,11-4