Georgetown wins Inaugural Surues Cup over Cal

Princeton's Mauricio Sanchez from Mexico, couldn't stem the tide of Trinity's 10th (photo:©2007 Debra Tessier)

Feb 17th , Cambridge MA - In a dominating display of collegiate squash at the very highest skill and emotional level, the Trinity Bantams, 9-times defending National Champions, extended their various winning streaks, collecting a tenth consecutive national title at the expense of a group of shellshocked Princeton Tigers.

The smart money pretty well knew that the Tigers were long shots this year, not quite as powerful or as competitively mature as their predecessors two years ago.

Trinity, riding a 182-match winning streak, came in confident and finely tuned and garbed in Yellow, while the Tigers looked a little subdued in their Black.

First up on the glass court at Harvard was Trinity's Manuk Mathur against Princeton's David Letourneau. Until match ball in the third, it looked like it would be a quick 3-0 for Mathur. Letourneau defended and suddenly went from 0-8 to 4-8. After a few moments off court to bandage a bloodied knee, followed by a few on where it looked uncertain if the bleeding would keep Letourneau from completing the match, and it was Letourneau serving game ball.

Detter too strong for Kimlee (photo:©2007 Debra Tessier)

The turn of events was quick, and came thanks to the freshman's shotmaking. Letourneau's comeback was short-lived, extending as far as a 2-0 lead in the fourth, before Mathur returned to attack mode and ran to a 9-6 win. The score is a reversal of their regular season match, where Letourneau won 3-1.

"All credit to him. He played very well," Letourneau said. "He came out firing like last time, and I just didn't weather the storm like I did in the last match. I was pretty proud of the way I came back from 8-0 down. It is definitely something to build on."

Next up on the main court was Trinity's Gustav Detter and Princeton's Kimlee Wong. In front of a packed house－every inch of the court surrounded by someone sitting on the floor or peering over a shoulder－the two put on one of the marathon matches they are known for. Wong and Detter both can, and do, something you rarely see－look at a shot, decide not to take it, do a 360 and then take a better shot. The two ran each other to all corners of the court and retrieved shots that resulted in constant oohing, awing and "No way could you ever get that," from the crowd of players, parents, Trinity friends or alumni , and anyone else that could fit.

During the regular season, Detter and Wong played evenly in the first before Detter broke out and ran away with it. Today was very different. Though Wong scored seven points in the first, and then only six more combined during the next two games, he stayed with Detter and in the end it came down to Detter's ability to convert the marathon rallies into winners.

"He played really well, better than last time" Detter said. "I was lucky he got a little worn out. It was nice to win."

Wong and Detter ran more in their three games than nearly anyone does in even the toughest five-game match, due to the fact that both can make shots that force their opponent to chase, and both are fit enough to keep chasing.

"Neither one of us likes to initiate the attack," Wong said. "The difference from now and last year is he's gotten fitter, and I have maintained. I did feel I played better than I did at Trinity."

It was during Detter and Wong's match that news spread that Trinity had won the match, going up 5 love. Hand signals of five started in the corridor and were the way the word spread to many fans. For Princeton's Tom McKay, he knew when he heard a shout on the court next to his and then saw people run onto it. A few minutes later, and McKay was down 1-0 to Randy Lim at No. 7.

"Between games Coach (Callahan) came out and said 'You've worked too hard to just roll over now.' I was pretty much in control from then on," McKay said.

For McKay, a caption and a senior, it was his last team match.

"It's very sad," he said. "I thought it would end differently. I thought it would end with a win. The younger guys are my teammates and my best friends. I want them to be the ones to end the streak. It won't be quite as sweet for me since I won't be a part of it."  

As Trinity and Princeton were given awards on the court following the match, both coaches talked about the sportsmanship of the opposing players. Both teams exemplified that sportsmanship as a dejected Princeton held their heads high and an elated Trinity team held their celebration in－as much as one possibly could.

Both teams headed back to their campuses following the match. They won't play each other as a team again until next year, but with the talent level on both teams it is highly likely that there will be more Tiger/Bantam matchups at Individuals at Navy in two weeks. The best team has been decisively determined. Now, may the best man win.

BATES OVER ROCHESTER

Bates won the B's (photo:©2007 Debra Tessier)

Concurrently, on adjoining courts, the "B" division title was played out, with an emotionally and physically spent Rochester side (they had had to play an extra "qualifying" match on early Friday morning) starting strong against Bates but slowly and surely losing grip of a see-saw match against Bates.

As things devolved inevitably to the number five position, Rochester's spotlight throughout the weekend, it seemed almost too much to have the pressure fall again on Rochester's intrepid warrier at #5, Yohay Wakabayashi. Yohay in fact started strong, relaxed and confident and though dropping the first game, looked in control. But slightly over half way through the third game, with score knotted 1-1 and 5-5, Yohay finally hit the wall - it was too many five game matches in too few days for him and the legs deserted him, and as his chances slipped away so did Rochester's.

Bates took it home 6-3, as Rochester's super freshman Hameed Ahmed seemed emotionally drained in the face of charged up, Skillman winner, Ricky Weisskopf of Bates, and in the face of a dead rubber match with nothing left to prove.

GEORGETOWN WINS THE SERUES
In the longest match of the portion of the CSA Championship Tournament held at the MIT Zesiger Center venue, the ascending Hoyas from Georgetown University came down to the wire against Califonia. Starting at 9:15 and deadlocked at four matches each by 11:45, all eyes turned to the last competitors standing on court 3... Up two games to one, Calin Gunn from Georgetown finally served at high noon for the match at 8-7 in the fourth frame. A weary Ben Seelig of CAL could not extricate himself from the backswing path of Gunn sizing up a shot left glaringly down the middle of the court, and it was "stroke," -- set, and match! for the exultant Georgetown horde...

2008 CSA National Men's Team Championships, Finals:

Potter Cup (National Title):

Hoehn Cup (National B Title):

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