Varsity Squash Team Picked to Whip Army

John M. Barnaby '32, varsity squash coach, has recently admitted that his team was "sitting on the right hand of God." If one adds to this the fact that last year's varsity walloped Army 3-1, the 1962 squad should have little trouble with West Point in their match in Hemenway Gymnasium at 2 p.m. today.

Barnaby, who throughout last year's undefeated season maintained that his squad must not get overconfident, humbly pointed out that the team was "loaded." Added to the return of eight of last year's first nine is a freshman squad which also went undefeated.

Heading the team for the second straight year is Vic Niederhoffer, a junior who learned squash as a freshman. Niederhoffer picked up the game with such phenomenal speed that he became National Junior champion within 14 months. In that tournament, he faced and defeated the defending champion, Bill Morris, in the finals.

This year, Morris is right behind Niederhoffer, holding down the second spot on the ladder. Morris was unbeaten last year as number one man on the freshman squad, and has now moved into the varsity line-up.

Behind the first two men, the Crimson credentials read like a congregation of All-American players. Lou Williams was interscholastic champion while in prop school, Paul Sullivan is captain of the tennis team, Doug Walter advanced to the quarterfinals of the 1962 national championships, and Roger Wiegand, who is squash captain this year, has been a stand-out for two years.

The first two matches of the season, held last weekend in Canada, have presented a much improved team if such is possible. The Crimson beat McGill, 6-3, despite the absence of both Morris and Sullivan, and then upset a traditionally powerful Montreal Squash Club, 5-4.

There seems to be so little doubt about the varsity's power this year that the only interest may be centered on individual match play. Yale again has three outstanding players, all nearly as strong as last year's starter Ralph Howe, former national champion, who beat Niederhoffer last season.

An indication of how much the Crimson ace has improved this season has been his practice play against Jim Zug, former Princeton number one man, who also beat Niederhoffer last spring. The Crimson star recently has been beating Zug, and seems to get better every week.