Princeton take's razor-thin victory over Harvard. Breaks Harvard nine year grip on Ivy crown.

Princeton Men and Women beat Harvard. Princeton Men in drivers seat for Ivy crown

by Ron Beck, SquashTalk

When Peter Yik made Tim Wyant run too far one final time and sealed a 5-4 victory for Princeton, the Princeton players poured onto the court in a spontaneous demonstration of jubilation. Harvard coach Satinder Bajwa and former coach Mo Ayaz slumped dejected. Harvard fans, used to domination over the Ivys (last nine seasons in a row) were in disbelief.

This Sunday's dual college match featuring Ivy strongmen Princeton and Harvard showed again the excitement and growth of the college squash game in the USA. An enthusiastic crowd of 400 fans spurred on the two teams.

The overriding impression these players left, was of the rapidly improving level of play of top level USA collegiate squash, especially the tactical maturity shown on court, the sophisticated level of coaching, and impressive sportsmanship.

Both teams knew the match would be close, but couldn't have anticipated how close. If you haven't witnessed a well-contested nine man team match, the suspense and building excitement is almost impossible to describe in words.

The Harvard Murr Center squash facility is the ideal theater for this sort of drama. The spectators can watch all of the matches unfolding concurrently - while the contestants are confined to the maelstrom of their own match, only imagining through the crowd's yells, what might be happening on adjoining courts.

First up were the 2,4,6, and 8th seed matches. Harvard players took a one-game lead in all but one of these four contests. But Harvard coach Satinder Bajwa paced nervously, knowing the closeness of the matchups. The number 4 matchup was particularly intriguing, with former US junior team-mates Eric Pearson and Dylan Patterson matched up. Pearson took the first game. Patterson, though, wearing a USA flag-patterned, Power-style bandana, put the pressure on Pearson and gained a two game to one advantage. Pearson, who friends indicated had lost some enthusaism for the game over the past year, seems to have regained his passion. He proudly remarked afterwards, "I haven't played Dylan in about two years... but then I've never lost to him." Pearson showed much more creativity and control late in the contest, taking a five game win.

The two next matches were symetrically decided by injury. Danny Rutherford, the talented freshman from Canada in Princeton's number six position, trying to come back after ankle problems, seemed to reinjure his ankle late in the closely contested contest with Shondip Ghosh. After taking the third game, 17-16, Rutherford rapidly lost mobility and limped through the end of the contest.

In the number two position, Harvard's Deepak Abraham also suffered an ankle injury part way through the contest, and David Yik's ability to press the ball to all corners of the court, left Deepak no chance, with his slightly reduced mobility.

This left the score 2-1 in Princeton''s favor. But when Princeton's Harrison Gabel out-duelled Dave Barry at the number 8 position, Harvard responded with wins by Rob Pike at number nine and Andrew Merrill at number 7.

The score stood knotted 3-3 with three matches to play.

Gray Witcher out-matched Peter Kelly at the number three position giving Harvard a 4-3 lead. Harvard needed one win in the last two to win the match.

Playing side by side, Will Evans, Princeton's freshman from New Zealand battled Harvard's Pete Karlen and Peter Yik, Princeton's defending collegiate champion battled Tim Wyant. Evans was just too poised and too experienced for the highly-competitive Karlen. At 11-11 in the fourth, Karlen made two critical errors and the match was Evans.

This left the final result, fittingly, to the two #1 seed players. But Yik had punished Wyant relentlessly throughout games two and three, sending Wyant again and again into the front of the court for desparate retrievals. The toll was too much and Wyant's strength flagged just enough in the final game to let Yik save game point in the fourth game and then take the tie-breaker, giving Princeton the match and a rare Ivy league title away from Harvard.

RESULTS:

Men
Princeton 5, Harvard 4
1) Peter Yik (P) def. Tim Wyant (H), 3-1 9-15, 15-5, 15-8, 17-14
2) David Yik (P) def. Deepak Abraham (H), 3-1 15-17, 15-10, 15-6, 15-7
3) Gray Witcher (H) def. Peter Kelly (P), 3-1 17-16, 8-15, 15-9, 15-7
4) Eric Pearson (P) def. Dylan Patterson (H), 3-2 15-10, 13-15, 12-15, 15-11, 15-7
5) Will Evans (P) def. Peter Karlen (H), 3-1 15-13, 15-6, 11-15, 15-13
6) Shondip Ghosh (H) def. Danny Rutherford (P), 3-1 15-12, 16-17, 15-6, 15-9
7) Andrew Merrill (H) def. Marshall Sebring (P), 3-1 10-15, 15-13, 15-5, 15-14
8) Harrison Gabel (P) def. Dave Barry (H), 3-1 14-17, 15-5, 15-12, 15-7
9) Rob Pike (H) def. Randolph McEvoy (P), 3-1 15-13, 13-15, 15-7, 15-8

Women
Princeton 5, Harvard 4
1) Julia Beaver (P) def. Margaret Elias (H), 3-0 9-4, 9-3, 9-6
2) Meredith Quick (P) def. Carlin Wing (H) , 3-0 9-1, 9-1, 9-2
3) Blair Irwin (P) def. Colby Hall (H), 3-0 9-1, 9-2, 9-1
4) Liz Kelly (P) def. Ella Witcher (H), 3-2 6-9, 8-10, 9-7, 9-6, 9-5
5) Emily Eynon (P) def. Blair Endresen (H), 3-0 9-7, 9-4, 9-5
6) Virginia Brown (H) def. Anna Minkowski (P), 3-0 9-5, 9-5, 10-8
7) Lindsay Coleman (H) def. Courtney Green (P), 3-1 3-9, 9-4, 9-0, 9-3
8) Frances Holland (H) def. Jen Shingleton (P), 3-0 9-6, 9-0, 9-0
9) Katie Gregory (H) def. Rebecca Gutner (P), 3-2 9-5, 3-9, 9-10, 9-6, 9-1

[Author's note: as a member of one of the few Princeton teams to defeat Harvard (1974) I was unable to keep a reporter's disinterest for this one myself.]